Pokémon: The Journey
by Mattias
Summary: Come inside. Find mystical items, meet close allies, collect badges from hidden gyms and struggle to survive by constant appearances from Team Rocket. This isn't an ordinairy Pokémon journey it's a life journey. [First of Two Books]
1. This is my Journey

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 1: This is my Journey  
  
  
  
Pallet Town. A small, secluded village that was not very well known to the Pokémon World. Certainly, there were other towns that produced top-notch Pokémon trainers, but when Pallet Town is mentioned, very few people know of it. Matt Tenks happened to be one of the several new trainers in Pallet Town. For tomorrow, he along with many others, will begin their Pokémon journey.  
  
The sun has been set for several hours, as the only light left on in the Tenks' residence happened to be the one in Matt's room. Filled with adrenaline, he was far too excited to sleep. He had waited a very long time to start his journey, and now finally, it was possible.  
  
Standing there with Matt is his sister Jessica, who was just a few years older than him. Because her room is next to Matt's, she found it difficult to sleep with all the noise he was making. So instead of shouting at him all night long, she just sat in his bedroom, watching him pack.  
  
"So...you're sure you want to do this?" Jess asked.  
  
"Jess, come on. I've been waiting for five years, and I've been staying up all night packing. What do you think?" Matt responded with a smile, while putting more clothes into his backpack. "You have no idea how much it means to me to have the age requirements for beginning trainers lowered."  
  
"Who else is going?" Jess asked. She knew that there definitely could be better questions asked, but at this specific time, she wasn't in much mood to bring up conversation.  
  
"To be honest, I have absolutely no idea. I've asked around to see who else was going, but everybody was either being vague with their, 'some kid down the street from me' or their dumbfounded, 'dur, I dunno'." Matt continued packing more clothes into it. "Okay, I have my jeans, my t-shirts, and some socks."  
  
"But...are you positive that you want to leave now? Are you ready yet?" Jess asked again.  
  
"Why do you keep asking me? I've read books on Pokémon training, I've watched Pokémon championship battles; I've also done a lot of research on strategy and technique. Trust me, Jess, I am ready." Matt packed a couple of magazines into his backpack. You can't go traveling without taking anything to read, he thought. He looked over at Jess. "You can come along too, if you want. You like Pokémon, don't you?"  
  
"You just don't want to be alone."  
  
"Whatever, you just don't want me to leave."  
  
"It doesn't matter to me, but are you going to be okay all by yourself?"  
  
"Look, leave mom up to worrying about me, okay?" Matt put in his last pair of socks and zipped up his backpack. He then checked his watch. "Good lord, is it really this late?! I'd better go to bed now; last thing I want to do is oversleep. Guess it's my fault for not packing earlier then."  
  
"Ha!" Jess replied sarcastically, followed with a laugh. "I think it's funny that the last thing you'd speak about would be about sleeping in. It doesn't matter what time you go to bed; you always seem to wake up early!"  
  
"Anything can happen. I always manage to want to stay in bed a little longer when there are places I need to be. Besides, sleeping in wastes half a day. I'll never know how you or anybody else can do that," Matt replied, putting his backpack on the floor. "I can't sleep in, because the earlier I get to Professor Oak's lab, the better chance I have to getting a really good starter Pokémon." As his sister left the room, Matt crawled under the covers.  
  
Matt had a hard time sleeping. It took him an hour before he actually started to get drowzy. When he did fall asleep, all he could dream about was Pokémon. He saw many of them in his dreams, and dreamed that he had caught several of them, also while collecting several gym badges. When Matt woke up the next morning, he was disappointed that it was all a dream, but he was hoping that his dream could lead to a possible déjà vu.  
  
Matt looked at his alarm clock with a plush Pidgey over it, then looked out his bedroom window. Dawn had arrived with the sun to rise shortly after. "I've waited five years for this. Now, I need to go and see which Pokémon Professor Oak will give me."  
  
Matt didn't feel there was enough time to shower, so he just quickly put on a clean pair of clothes, which happened to be a gray t-shirt, and a pair of dark blue jeans. The temperature was going to be much warmer than it was yesterday, and contemplated wearing shorts instead. However, if he gets warmer later on, he could just simply change then.  
  
Matt picked up his backpack and walked downstairs into the kitchen. He then stopped. "Looks like I'm going to just walk out on them. But, at this rate, I can't take the chance of waiting. For all I know, everybody else already has picked their starter Pokémon."  
  
Matt grabbed a pen and wrote his parents a Goodbye note, saying that he'll see them again just in time before the Pokémon League Championships start. He then picked up some fresh fruit and placed them into his backpack to be eaten later. He put on his running shoes, then put on his backpack.  
  
As he took his first steps outside, Matt took in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the fresh morning air. He also began to wonder again about how successful this journey will be. Of course, he, like everybody else, wants to become a Pokémon Master. However, the reality of achieving such greatness does not seem to be at great odds. He began to feel slightly unsure if he will be a success, or a failure. He then shook his head and reminded himself many times not to over-think: one of his weaknesses.  
  
Matt started to walk down a dirt road which lead to Professor Oak's lab. On the way there, he began to whistle.  
  
"I'm giving people a lot of high hopes for this journey to be a good one. Particularly to myself," Matt said to himself again. "I'd hate to turn up as a failure; I wouldn't be able to face anybody. Well, I guess that my parents will still be proud of me, but that doesn't really count." Matt began to wonder why his sister didn't become a trainer. "I don't understand why she didn't want to come. I know she likes Pokémon."  
  
Matt had a chance to look around at the scenery of Pallet Town. "Good ol' Pallet Town. Nice and small, lovely weather, great friends. Wow. It's going to be a shame leaving this place. I should have taken my last day looking around, instead of staying home all day. But, I guess that with all the excitement of starting my journey, I just wanted to stay home."  
  
Matt walked by his school and smiled. "Good bye, Pallet Secondary. I'll never forget how terribly you've overdone those hamburgers, and how my math teacher nearly fell down the stairs that one time...."  
  
Matt looked around some more. He walked by the general store. "Ah, Mr. Laidman's store. Heh, when I was ten I would buy candy from you all the time. Wow, I can't believe how care-free I was in those days."  
  
Matt continued walking down the path. "So many memories. I'm really going to miss this place. But, I will return someday." He then stopped and looked around. "Sheesh, they really aren't kidding about this place when they say how dead the early mornings and late evenings are around here. I can't hear a thing! I haven't passed by a single person. I can't hear the song of a Pidgey, or anything."  
  
After walking for twenty more minutes, Matt sat down on a rock to rest and smelled the fresh, cool air of the new summer day. He could see the sun peeking through the trees of the nearby forest. "Could that be even more of a perfect beginning?" He pulled out a bottle of cold water and began to drink it. "It'd be awesome if every day could start out like this. But then again, we need to have it rain once in a while."  
  
Matt put his bottle away and began walking again. "I'm almost there. Hmm, now that I think about it, I never had a chance to think about which Pokémon I want. There are water, fire, and grass types to choose from. I better start thinking which one I want now, so it'll be easier to pick later." Matt began to remember the strengths and weaknesses for each type of Pokémon he could choose from. "They all seem well balanced, but, I have to pick one."  
  
It took nearly an hour, but Matt finally arrived on Professor Oak's front porch. At last, it was time for Matt to select his first Pokémon. Afraid if he was awake or not, Matt rang the doorbell.  
  
Professor Oak opened the door a few seconds later. "Matt? What are you doing here so early? You've heard my public announcement last night, didn't you? You weren't supposed to come until 9:30!"  
  
Matt clinched his teeth. "I woke you up?! Aw, crap, I'm sorry! I wasn't aware of any public announcement. Well, that and I really had a lot of problems sleeping."  
  
Professor Oak shook his head in disappointment. "You know, that's not necessarily a good thing. A loss of sleep will make you far less alert as the day goes on. It's crucial that you get a proper night's sleep each and every night so you can be prepared for upcoming battles."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind, Professor. Thank you." Matt looked at his watch. "Yeah, I know it's really early, but would it be okay if I made my choice now? I guess this extra time will give me the proper breathing space to finally make a choice."  
  
"I suppose so. Please, right this way."  
  
Matt entered the laboratory as he closed the door behind him. In politeness, he removed both of his shoes and placed them to the side. Professor Oak then let Matt into the room where he held his Pokémon. Matt was completely marvelling the large room. Large databases from one wall, and several shelves with Pokéballs on the other wall. This is where the Professor must keep track of every Pokémon received by trainers, Matt said to himself.  
  
The Professor walked over to one of the large computers and inserted a few commands. A few seconds later, a door opened up while a large table containing four Pokéballs were inside. One in the center resting on a pedestal, with three others surrounding it on the same platform.  
  
"You may choose one of these three," the Professor said, walking over to Matt.  
  
"Professor, I see four of them though," Matt replied, staring at each of them.  
  
"Oh, you must be speaking about the one on the pedestal. I shouldn't have left that one out, but that one's for my grandson, Gary. It's a special Pokémon that can be hard to find, and I'm reserving it specifically for him," Professor Oak said.  
  
"I see, but can you tell me what it is?" Matt asked.  
  
"No, I'm sorry. But, if you meet him on the road, you'll see. He may tell you then," Professor Oak said. "Don't be mislead, Matt; I'm only giving this one to him because he had requested it long ago. Hopefully you won't feel cheated, because the other Pokémon here are just as exclusive and difficult to find as the one I'm giving to Gary."  
  
"I understand," Matt replied, picking up a Pokéball. "Well, since I missed your announcement yesterday, I didn't have a chance to see which Pokémon you had available. So, you'll have to tell me which ones you have."  
  
"The one you're holding in your hand is a Squirtle. He's a water-type Pokémon," Professor Oak said.  
  
"That's right, I had remembered you saying you had one of each type. So...which one is this?" Matt asked, picking up another Pokéball.  
  
"That's a Charmander. He's a fire-type," Professor Oak replied.  
  
"The other one would have to be a Bulbasaur then, right?"  
  
"That's right. He's a grass-type." Professor Oak replied. "Three Pokémon, three different types. Since you're the first one here, you have plenty of time to decide."  
  
Matt, still holding the Charmander in his hand, began to stroke his chin. "It's rather difficult to decide. Could you give me some more information about them?" he asked.  
  
"Of course, just come with me to my computer, and I'll give you all you need to know about these three," the Professor said.  
  
"All right then." Matt followed Oak to his computer. He was amazed at the large screen. He watched several commands being typed in, along with several windows popping up. He then eventually loaded a program. A program entitled 'Pokédex PC 0.31.  
  
"Okay, I'll load Charmander's information first." The Professor moved the mouse around to a specific icon and clicked on it twice. "Now listen carefully, Matt, this is a fairly new program, so it only gives out information vocally."  
  
Matt nodded and listened very carefully.  
  
"Charmander. A Fire Pokémon. This type of Pokémon prefers hot places. When it rains, steam is said to spout from the tip of its tail," a computerized voice stated, with a large, clear picture of Charmander on the screen. Matt had only seen paintings of Charmander along with some sketches in old tales he used to read, but he had never seen a picture of a real one. It amazed him. The large eyes beaming with fire, while interestingly enough, the point of its tail is engulfed.  
  
"Well, that information hardly helps me at all," Matt said. "I'm sorry if I'm sounding picky, but this is just about it's natural daily life. Does this program know anything else? How about its specialties, its attacks?"  
  
Professor Oak began opening more windows and began inserting many more commands. A large list appeared in a large enough font for anybody from any distance of the room to be able to read. "It starts out with 'Scratch', 'Ember' and 'Leer'. What do you think?"  
  
Matt shook his head. "Not yet, I want to look at all three before I make a decision. Could we look at Bulbasaur's information next?"  
  
"Of course," Oak replied. He then brought up a picture of Bulbasaur on the screen.  
  
"Bulbasaur, a Grass Pokémon. A strange seed is planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this Pokémon," the computer replies. Matt was also fascinated at this picture. Like Charmander, he had only seen sketches and paintings of this Pokémon. Looking at it, it seemed to have a lot of physical capabilities, something really tough. Matt admired that, but wanted to learn more.  
  
"Again, not too much information," Matt said. "What does it start out with?"  
  
"It begins with 'Tackle', 'Leech Seed' and 'Vine Whip'," the Professor replied.  
  
"Awesome. I'm really tempted with this one," Matt said. He was about to confirm his selection, but remembered about the other Pokémon. "Oh, wait. I'd actually like to learn about the last one first."  
  
"Okay, I'll bring up Squirtle's information." The professor began to type again as a picture of a Squirtle appeared on the screen.  
  
Matt let out a chuckle. "Hey, this one's rather cute." He then looked at it even closer. He had recognized this Pokémon somewhere before, but wasn't exactly sure from where. A ranch somewhere maybe? Matt asked himself. He then stood quietly to listen to the upcoming information.  
  
"Squirtle, a Water Pokémon. After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell. This Pokémon has the ability to powerfully spray foam from its mouth," the computer explains.  
  
Before Matt could say anything, the Professor opened up its skills list. "Its beginning attacks are 'Tackle', 'Tail Whip', 'Bubble' and 'Water Gun'."  
  
"Hey, I thought I've seen Squirtle before," Matt stated. "I actually saw one while I was at the beach a good few years ago. It wouldn't come near me or anybody else though. I guess it was shy. I only got to see its face though, since we were both in the water. At the time, I was too scared to go underwater with my eyes open. That and I don't think the water was very clean. At any rate, they're all good Pokémon you have here. Do you know if it's possible to catch any of these Pokémon later on?"  
  
"Well, there is a slight chance, but like I said, these were hard to find. I could give you some charts where they're located in case you're interested in looking for them."  
  
"Perhaps for another time," Matt replied. He then thought hard for a minute. There are a lot of dark caverns which need to be crossed in order to get to certain cities with Pokémon gyms, so for that alone Charmander could be useful. Bulbasaur looks really tough in general, so I think it would do really well in battles.  
  
Matt looked back up to the large screen which still had the picture of Squirtle. There was something about this one that seemed very appealing to Matt. He wasn't sure what it was. It doesn't have very sharp claws, it doesn't seem to have proper balance, but its face was something that looked very impressive to him. Something that just shouted out 'potential' to him. Matt had finally made his decision.  
  
"Professor Oak, I think I've finally reached a decision," Matt replied.  
  
"Very good. What will it be?" the Professor asked.  
  
"Well, going with Pokémon that would excel in battles seems like a predictable thing to do. Looking at Squirtle could throw many people off, but when I look at it, it seems to have something to prove. I'd like to take Squirtle, if you please." Matt responded, with a grin slowly appearing on his face. He doubted very much that he would regret making this decision in the future.  
  
Professor Oak smiled. "Okay then. Take these then." He handed to Matt a large electronic device which looked like a calculater and five small balls.  
  
"Here, let me explain what I've just handed to you," the Professor began. "The large red device which you hold in your hand is what I call a Pokédex. A lot of research by my colleagues and I were finally able to release a small handheld device which contains information about each and every Pokémon. It gives information about any wild Pokémon, including its type, and its special attacks." He then pointed to the five small balls. "These are crucial to capturing Pokémon, so please pay close attention. Once you've weakened a wild Pokémon in a battle, you can trap it with one of these Pokéballs. Be absolutely sure that your opponent is weak enough before using one of these. If you fail to capture a Pokémon with the same ball several times, it will break. Also, note that you can only hold six Pokémon with you at a time. Once you're out of Pokéballs, you can buy some in specific Pokémon marts. You can even purchase medicines for your Pokémon if you're really far from a Pokémon Center."  
  
"Well, how much do these items cost? I don't have that much money with me." Matt asked, pulling out a few bills and staring at them.  
  
"I'm not aware of the prices, but here's a way to earn some extra change. There's a specific code you have to live by when battling other trainers. If you win a battle, they have to give you five percent of their earnings. The same thing happens if you lose."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind," Matt replied. He was then lead to the front door when Matt placed both his shoes back on, tying each one. "I'll be on my way now."  
  
The Professor handed Squirtle over to Matt. "This was a good companion of mine. Please take good care of him."  
  
"I won't let you down, Professor. I've never been more ready for anything else in my life."  
  
"Very good...."  
  
Matt walked out the front door, while waving goodbye to Professor Oak. He then looked up as he began to walk along Route 1. The sun was now in plain view, almost blinding from where he was standing. The grass was glimmering as the dew dripped from each blade of grass.  
  
The day was just beginning, as was Matt's Pokémon journey. He has chosen his first Pokémon, and already knew where his first stop was: Viridian City. Matt, now with determination in his eyes, continued to look at the sky. He then looked at the Pokémon which he held in is hand.  
  
"Squirtle. You are my key to becoming one of the greatest...."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	2. It Has Just Begun

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 2: It Has Just Begun  
  
  
  
Afternoon had finally arrived, as Matt's Pokémon journey had finally begun. For his first Pokémon, upon thinking long and hard, he had decided to choose a water Pokémon, Squirtle. He did like the other two selections, but he felt that there was something in particular about this Squirtle. Something that could only mean good things to him in the near future.  
  
Matt was walking down Route 1, which would eventually lead to Viridian City. He wasn't even paying attention to where he was walking; he was lost in very deep thought. He was full of exhileration, adrenaline, and potentially some impatience. He's aware that it takes a long time to be a good Pokémon trainer, but he was rather anxious about whether he'll get there.  
  
Matt broke out of his deep thought, then looked at his Pokéball. "I haven't even seen my Pokémon yet. Perhaps I should start to cope with it." Matt removed it from his belt and enlarged it. He opened it up as a large beam of white shot out onto the ground. This was the first time Matt ever saw a Pokéball open.  
  
Matt watched closely as the white light transformed into the Pokémon. He saw the bulging, curly tail. Above it was a shining brown shell, and on top of that was the Squirtle's head. Bright, blue and shining just like its shell.  
  
The Squirtle was unsure of where it was, for it had been resting inside its Pokéball for a long time. Matt wasn't certain how long; it could have been for weeks, or even worse, months.  
  
"Squirtle?" it stated. It then looked up at Matt. "Squ...ir...tle?"  
  
"Don't be afraid. My name is Matt, and I'm your new trainer, Squirtle!" Matt blushed somewhat, then felt somewhat embarrassed. "I could have said something a little less cheesy," he muttered under his breath.  
  
"Squirtle?" it squeaked. Matt noticed that it was less hesitant with its second response.  
  
"I'm the very first teenage trainer to ever leave from Pallet. Because recently, you can be as young as ten to start your journey. I know that this could be boring for you, but I certainly hope that we can get along. It's important for us to if we plan to have a succesful journey! You with me so far?"  
  
Squirtle nodded slightly, still unsure.  
  
"Don't worry, I have a good fighting method, surely my battle plan will be unbeatable, if you understand what I mean. Now, let's start our journey."  
  
Squirtle nodded, seeming much less hesitant, and much more confident than before. This pleased Matt greatly, for already his Pokémon already has trust and confidence in him. This is crucial, he thought to himself.  
  
"I don't know how long you've been trapped inside that Pokéball of yours, but perhaps you should get a little bit of exercise," Matt stated. He then pulled out his Pokédex. "But actually, I just thought of something. I'm not sure how to use this."  
  
Matt pushed in a few buttons, then groaned in frustration. "You could have made this thing a little more user-friendly, professor," he muttered. He then was able to put up Squirtle's image on the screen. "There it is!" He pushed in a few more buttons as a new data screen came up. Included was the Pokémon's number, the trainer ID, along with its gender.  
  
"Ah, so you're male, huh? That's cool," Matt said to himself, putting away his Pokédex. He noticed Squirtle was staring at him. "It's nothing," he said aloud. "Now, I heard there are supposed to be a whole load of wild Pokémon here; let's go get some."  
  
Matt and Squirtle continued to walk down Route 1. Matt had to look back from time to time to ensure that Squirtle was as a matter of fact keeping up with him. He had to slow down so Squirtle would catch up to him.  
  
Further ahead, Matt and Squirtle enter a large, grassy area. This field was very far away from any town; it was natural that nobody would ever attend to it. In the distance, Matt spots a bird.  
  
"Hey, I think that's a Pidgey. I can't tell from here; it could be just an ordinary bird," Matt took out his Pokédex and placed in some information.  
  
"Pidgey. A flying Pokémon. A common sight in forests and woods. It flaps its wings at ground level to kick up blinding sand. This Pokémon is usually best for new trainers, for it is often an easy capture," the Pokédex replies.  
  
"An easy capture? What is this thing? Since when is a Pokémon an easy capture?" Matt put the Pokédex away. "Okay then. It's time for our very first battle; hopefully we will come out victorious! Squirtle, how do you feel?" Matt asked.  
  
Squirtle nodded, then stepped up close to the Pidgey, who had no idea of their presence.  
  
"This is perfect; it hasn't even noticed us yet. Okay, Squirtle, surprise it with a Tackle attack!" Matt commanded.  
  
Getting down into a low position, Squirtle tried his best to remain unseen. When the Pidgey moved in closer to view, Squirtle leaped off of his hind legs and clasped its two stubby hands around the Pidgey. Pidgey squacked in surprise as it was taken down heavily into the field.  
  
"Yes! That's the way to do it!" Matt shouted. "Now, hold it still, I'm going to try and capture it!" Matt shuffled around in his backpack for an empty Pokéball when he heard a noise. He quickly looked back towards the battle. Pidgey had escaped and had started to fly up.  
  
"Oh hell, don't tell me it's trying to escape," Matt said.  
  
Squirtled pulled himself to his feet, watching the Pidgey very closely. Pidgey got high enough off the ground, and turned around towards Squirtle. It stopped and began flapping its wings at a very rapid pace, surrounding Squirtle with a fierce wind.  
  
"A Gust attack?! After that hit?" Matt groaned, trying to shield his eyes from the sudden wind yet at the same time trying not to look away from the battlefield.  
  
Squirtle was unable to maintain its composure and was knocked off of its feet, colliding heavily with some hard soil nearby. After the Gust attack, Squirtle slowly pulled himself to his feet, somewhat weakened from the attack.  
  
"Squirtle, when it gets low enough, try another Tackle!" Matt shouted. "Don't give up! You can outlast this thing!"  
  
Pidgey flew in closer towards Squirtle, and began to flap its wings again. Squirtle quickly pulled itself into position and leaped off the ground once more. He clutched Pidgey once more and slammed it heavily into the hard soil below. Squirtle released its grip and moved away from the Pidgey. It was not moving.  
  
"Yes! That did the trick!" Matt scrambled to find an empty Pokéball that he had placed in his backpack. After pulling one out, he enlarged it. He aimed carefully, and tossed the Pokéball towards the Pidgey. The ball struck, then opened up. The Pidgey's form transformed into a large white beam, as Squirtle's once was. It began to decrease in size and slip itself inside the Pokéball. It then fell onto the soil.  
  
"Now we wait..." Matt silently stated.   
  
The Pokéball began to twitch rapidly. Eventually the twitching's pace would decrease, but it would not stop.  
  
"Come on..." Matt replied. His heart began to beat rapidly, as he wiped off some sweat from his forehead. An easy capture? We'll see, he told himself.  
  
The Pokéball after one final twitch stopped moving, as a silent 'beep' was heard from the Pokéball. Matt had made his first capture.  
  
"Yes!" Matt exclaimed, jumping in the air. "Way to go, Squirtle! I knew you could do it!" Matt put backpack back on and started to walk towards the hard soil where the battle had taken place. He picked up the Pokéball and examined it for a long time. He held it up into the sky.  
  
"This marks history. Matt Tenks of Pallet Town captures his very first Pokémon. Type: Flying. Name: Pidgey." He pressed a button in the center, minimizing the Pokéball and placed it on an empty slot in his belt. For now, he has two Pokémon with him.  
  
"Squirtle!" Squirtle responded, possibly the loudest noise he has ever made so far during the day. This made Matt even happier. Now his Pokémon had full confidence in him.  
  
"I told you I had a good battle plan, now didn't I? Okay then, now that you've had some exercise, you should return to your Pokéball for a bit." Matt pulled out the Pokéball next to Pidgey and enlarged it.  
  
Squirtle's face fell as his eyes enlarged themselves in total fear. "Squirtle!" it shouted out and recoiled in his shell.  
  
"Huh? What?" Matt looked around. "What's going on? What happened?" Squirtle refused to move. Matt kneeled down next to it and tapped on it.   
  
"Uh...what's the problem? You've been fine up until--" he looked at the Pokéball. "Wait a second, is it the Pokéball...?"  
  
"Squirtle," it muttered in agreement.  
  
"I don't get it, why don't you want to go inside of your Pokéball? I need to check the Pokédex on this." Matt whipped out his Pokédex, and tapped in a few buttons until he found some information about the Pokéball.  
  
"The Pokéball is an ideal invention. It is necessary to use when capturing Pokémon and carrying more than one around. However, due to the restraining force that these Pokéballs contain, it is known that some Pokémon may strongly dislike being confined, and may become hesitant to enter its Pokéball. However, this is only known in very few cases," the Pokédex replies.  
  
"What? That's it?" Matt responded, somewhat surprised by the lack of information. "What a load of crap! What the hell am I supposed to do now?" He looked back at Squirtle.  
  
"Well, I guess I don't have much of a choice then." Matt stood up and dusted himself off. He put the Pokédex away, dusted off his hands and faced Squirtle. "Okay, just for now, you can stay outside of your Pokéball...."  
  
Squirtle jumped out of his shell and stood up, relieved.  
  
"However," Matt continued, "the instant something goes wrong, you need to get back inside your Pokéball. Do you understand?"  
  
Squirtle nodded, rather disgusted with his trainer's motives about the Pokéball. But the fact that he cared so much about his safety rather pleased him more than frustrating him.  
  
"Okay then. Let's keep going down Route 1," Matt said, as he continued to walk down the path, with his Squirtle not far behind him.  
  
Not long after, Matt spots yet another bird. "Another one? Hey, I think I've seen these before," Matt responds, while taking out his Pokédex.  
  
"Spearow. Eats bugs in grassy areas. It has to flap its short wings at high speed to stay airborne. Unlike Pidgey, it has a terrible attitude. It has been known to be extremely violent and will attack anything that challenges it. If a Spearow is wild, it is known be jealous of human-trained Pokémon," the Pokédex explains.  
  
"Excellent, a Pokémon with a strong attitude would make a great addition to our team," Matt said, putting away his Pokédex. "You wanna give it a go, Squirtle?"  
  
The Squirtle nodded, and approached the Spearow.  
  
"Okay, Tackle attack!" Matt commanded.  
  
Squirtle placed himself in a low position just like it did previous times before. Right after his leap, the Spearow noticeed, but it was too late. It was clutched in Squirtle's grasp and brought down to the ground. Spearow then kicked away Squirtle and gazed into its eyes.  
  
"A Leer attack," Matt muttered. "It doesn't do much, but if it does it too often, Squirtle will become too frightened to attack. Squirtle, use Bubble!"  
  
Squirtle heard the command from Matt, but was hesitant to attack. Spearow took advantage of this and dashed right towards him, striking Squirtle with a series of pecks.  
  
"Damn it! Squirtle, come on, use Bubble!" Matt commanded.  
  
Squirtle managed to push away the Spearow, and formed several bubbles in its mouth. He released them, striking Spearow each time. The Spearow pulled itself to its feet again, not showing any signs of weakness.  
  
Matt noticed Squirtle gasping for breath. Two consecutive battles after not getting much exercise in a short amount of time will eventually take its toll. "He needs to rest," Matt pulled out the Pokéball with Pidgey inside of it. "According to rules, I can only use one of these at a time. I can't take the risk of using two at once. Okay, Squirtle! Come back!"  
  
Squirtle managed to catch his breath, then turned around and began to runs towards Matt for a rest. Spearow started to think that he was running away from the battle, and began to charge towards it.  
  
"A sneak attack? I think not." Matt enlarges the Pokéball and hurls it in the air. "Pidgey, go! Use Sand Attack!"  
  
As soon as Pidgey was released from the Pokéball, it began flapping its wings as close to the ground as possible. The Spearow was surprised by this sudden attack, as several pieces of dust entered its eyes. It lost its balance and struck the ground.  
  
"Geez...what else does Pidgey know," Matt began to think. "Some sort of speed related--that's it! Quick Attack!"  
  
Pidgey landed before firing itself off the ground again. With a quick burst of speed it closed in and struck Spearow heavily, sending it soaring off the ground. Still blinded, Spearow did not react, and just struck the ground below heavily. Spearow was now far too weak to move.  
  
Matt quickly found an empty Pokéball and enlarged it. He tossed it towards the weakened Spearow as it was captured inside. The Pokéball began to twitch. Matt clenched his fists and teeth when finally, the Pokéball stopped moving. The Spearow had been successfully captured.  
  
Matt sighed. He then went towards the battlefield to retrieve the Pokéball. He then patted his Pidgey on the head. "Even though you were slightly injured from the last battle, that was really a great job!" Matt said, calling Pidgey back inside its Pokéball. "I guess a little bit of luck helped itself, too, because Spearow wasn't really expecting a sudden attack like that so soon; its guard was down."  
  
Matt looked toward Squirtle who was sitting on the grass. "Is everything all right, Squirtle?"  
  
Squirtle slowly nodded his head, still out of breath.  
  
"You seem tired. You know, if you could go into your Pokéball, things would be a lot easier," Matt teased. He then picked up Squirtle and continued to walk down Route 1. "Let's keep walking down Route 1, so we can get to Viridian City."   
  
Matt watched as the dirt path of Route 1 ended. He noticed a grassy hill and began to climb it. Upon reaching the top, he could see an entire city from beneath him. This has to be Viridian City, Matt told himself.  
  
Matt took a minute looking around the city. "Wow. I haven't been to the city in such a long time. So many buildings, so many places to explore." He shook his head. "No, I can't lower myself to such trivial matters; I have a journey to attend to. But...oh, what the heck, why can't we have some fun once in a while?"  
  
Matt began walking down the hill. "Now this is the way a Pokémon journey should begin...."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	3. Arrival and Departure of Viridian City

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 3: Arrival and Departure of Viridian City  
  
  
  
Upon recently beginning his new Pokémon journey, Matt Tenks of the town of Pallet had made two very successful, hard-earned captures. Matt was greatly liking his choice of his starter Pokémon, which is a Squirtle.  
  
Matt had recently finished traversing across Route 1, and had now found the entrance to Viridian City. He smiled and greeted a little girl outside picking flowers. She smiled back, but tried to hide her face. After Matt had passed the entrance gate, he started to look around.  
  
"Hmm...I wonder where the Pokémon Center is..." Matt said, looking at his map. "This place isn't really that big...oh heck, let's just look around until we find it!"  
  
Squirtle, next to him, released a sigh. He didn't seem to like the idea of roaming. Recently, he was released from his Pokéball for the first time in a very long time. Matt wasn't certain how long he was confined, but he was sure that it had been long enough; Squirtle started to detest residing inside of it, also he seemed have some kinks left inside him to be worked out when he was walking.  
  
Matt picked up his Squirtle as he began to look around for the Pokémon Center. He asked a few people along the way to where it was. Most of them ignored his request, but one person was kind enough to answer him.  
  
"If you take a right around the corner, go up to the Pokémon Mart. From there, take a left and just go straight. You should find it there."  
  
Matt thanked the person, and followed his directions. He spotted the Pokémon Mart, and took a left from where the person stated. From there he could see the Pokémon Center in plain view. He entered the front door and approached the front desk. To his surprise, not one person was there.  
  
"Are they open yet? They have to be; why else would the doors be unlocked?" Matt pondered while ringing the bell at the desk.  
  
A nurse with red hair tied back along with a long, white dress and shining eyes approached Matt as she walked up to the desk. "Oh, I'm sorry! I was just fixing myself something to eat; I don't normally see many trainers around at this time of day." She fixed her hair and cleared her throat. "Now, how may I help you?"  
  
"Um, actually Nurse..." Matt trailed off.  
  
"Joy, I'm Nurse Joy; a Pokémon surgeon," she replied with a smile.  
  
Matt's eyes widened. "S...surgeon?! You mean...you only heal Pokémon who's bones have been broken or fractured?!"  
  
Nurse Joy giggled, followed with a blush. "Well...yes, but that hardly ever happens. Most of the major surgeries take place in much larger Pokémon Centers. I mostly deal with those who need to have their Pokémon healed of status ailments."  
  
Matt blushed in embarrassment. "Of course....Anyway, my Squirtle here needs a rest," he said, picking up his Squirtle and placing it on the front desk. "Wait, I have two more: Spearow and Pidgey," Matt said, placing two extra Pokéballs on the desk. "I thought it'd be good if I stopped here to hopefully give them a little treatment."  
  
Nurse Joy smiled, and took the two Pokéballs and looked at Squirtle. "Don't you have a Pokéball for this one?"  
  
"Huh?" Matt responded, almost surprised by the question. "Oh, that. Well, when he was given to me, he's been resting inside the Pokéball for a long time. I just think he's tired of being inside of it. I hope this isn't a problem, nurse."  
  
"Oh no, it's no problem at all." She placed the two minimized Pokéballs on the tray, and gently placed Squirtle on an empty slot next to them. "Since you're the only trainer here, it won't take long at all. But if you don't mind, it's breakfast time, and I won't start the treatment until after."  
  
"Oh, that's fine," Matt replied.  
  
"Good. Come back in about half an hour then, okay?" Nurse Joy picked up the tray and walked into a room close to the front desk. Matt figured it was where she was eating.  
  
"Squirtle! You be good for Nurse Joy, all right?" Matt shouted. He then smirked, and then touched his stomach. "I haven't had anything decent to eat all day, have I? There has to be a restaurant around here somewhere."  
  
Matt left the Pokémon Center and looked about. Fortunately, there was a family restaurant next door. He checked his wallet to see how much he could purchase and tried to make sure not to purchase anything which would give him virtually nothing left. He was greeted by a waitress inside and was lead to a seat close to a window. He took a look at the menu. "Geez, I could really go for a nice, huge breakfast, but that costs way too much."  
  
The waitress who seated Matt approached with a notepad and a pen. "Are you ready to order?"   
  
"Umm...yes please. I'll have some poached eggs, with toast; and to drink...an iced tea sounds good," Matt said, handing the waitress the menu.   
  
"Okay then. I'll be back in a little bit," the waitress said, writing down Matt's order. She then took the menu and walked into the kitchen.  
  
Matt pulled out his Pokédex and began to browse some of the other options and menus with it. There was nothing else to do now except wait, so why the heck not? Matt thought to himself. He managed to look at which Pokémon are most likely to be captured in which areas, along with some information about Pokémon gyms.  
  
"I remember reading about this," Matt said aloud. "In order for me to qualify in this league's annual tournament, I have to collect eight badges from the eight gyms all around Indigo. It doesn't seem so bad," Matt smiled.  
  
Matt shut off his Pokédex and decided to shift his head to look around the restaurant. It seemed to have the 'right' amount of people for that time of day. Not too crowded, yet not too busy at the same time, either.  
  
The waitress then returned with a plate of two large poached eggs along with two pieces of toasted bread, covered with a thin layer of butter. The waitress placed it on the table next to a large glass of iced tea. She then left. Matt was pleased; normally there would be too many ice cubes for his liking. Matt broke off a piece of his egg with his fork and then placed it in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, then picked up his iced tea and took a drink.  
  
Wow...that's good," Matt smiled.  
  
While eating, Matt allowed himself to be absorbed into deep thinking. This training is going to be a lot more difficult than I thought, Matt thought. Well, of course I thought it was difficult, but I seemed to have overlooked how each Pokémon behaves. I have to be careful not to make any careless mistakes....I'll have to try and have some fun, though. There's no point in training Pokémon if I don't like it.  
  
Matt finished the last few bites of his breakfast, and gulped down the final few drops left of his drink. When the bill arrived, he tipped the waitress, then he went and paid for his meal near the entrance.  
  
After his filling meal, Matt returned to the Pokémon Center. Matt was still surprised to find absolutely nobody inside of it. He rang the bell, and called out for Nurse Joy, hoping that she wasn't still busy. Nurse Joy took a peek out of the back room, saw that it was Matt, and smiled. In a few moments, she exited the room, and approached the front desk with Matt's Pokémon. Matt thanked the nurse, placing the two Pokéballs back on his belt, picked up Squirtle, and left the center.  
  
After exiting the Pokémon Center, Matt placed down Squirtle, then pulled out his map and took a look at it. "I remember seeing in my Pokédex that there's a Pokémon Gym in these parts."  
  
"Don't bother," a voice said behind him. "The gym has been closed for months now. Nobody at all knows where the leader went."  
  
"Geez!" Matt jumped, startled. He turned around and saw an elderly, balding man. "You startled me!"  
  
"Sorry about that, young man," the elderly man responded in a sincere voice.  
  
"No, wait. The leader here's gone? What happened to him...or her?"  
  
The elderly man shrugged his shoulders. "I've been hearing several different things from several different trainers and news articles, kid. Some say it's about Team Rocket, others say it's about financial difficulties; I'm honestly not sure. But I am aware that the gym here is closed."  
  
Matt looked confused. "Team Rocket?"  
  
"Team Rocket is a cruel, awful organization that commits evil deeds by manipulating the minds of Pokémon," the elderly man said, pointing at a wanted sign. "They either use their Pokémon to help steal other trainers' Pokémon, and they use them to invade, conquer and destroy. Sometimes they have been known of commiting murder."   
  
Matt approached the wanted sign and took a good look at it. The wanted sign showed a sketched photo of a man with a red R on a white shirt.   
  
"Geez, I never knew that such an organization existed. I've heard of a thief appearing here and there, but I've never heard of some big-name organization." Matt finished examining the poster, and looked back at the elderly man, with some insecurity in his eyes.  
  
"Team Rocket is found in the Silph Co. building around Saffron City, I think. Hopefully I've gotten my facts straight. But don't think you're safe; they could be everywhere. Even here." The elderly man cleared his throat.  
  
Matt's eyes widened, and his face started to become pale. Such an evil organization like this exists? How is this possible? he asks himself.  
  
"I don't mean to sound disheartening or anything like that, young man, I'm just telling you now so that you'll be more on the alert. If you can, try to find a traveling companion; you'd be safer traveling through Viridian Forest with a friend or two."  
  
Matt shook his head. "I don't have any traveling companions. Other than Squirtle here, who doesn't seem to like his Pokéball."  
  
"As long as you have somebody looking out for you." The elderly man then pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it with a match. "These parts ain't safe, kid; just thought I'd give you a warning."  
  
Matt nodded his head. "I appreciate it very much, sir. Thank you." He turned towards Squirtle. "Well, come on, let's go."  
  
Squirtle pulled himself to his feet and began to follow Matt, as he walked towards the entrance to the Viridian Forest. The elderly man stood there, smoking away, watching Matt and his Pokémon fade off into the distance.  
  
"We've lost so many good kids to that damned Team Rocket." He spat out his cigarette and stomped on it. "It's amazing on how the authorities have absolutely no power over them. It all seems so helpless to those who become victimized." He looked at an empty Pokéball lying in his hands. "So much power is contained inside one of these. This includes the power to help, but mostly it is used for the power to terrorize. I hope that some day...somebody will have the power to stand up to Team Rocket, and defeat them." He tossed the empty Pokéball aside, and walked inside a nearby building.  
  
Matt had reached the exit to Viridian City, which was also the entrance to the Viridian Forest. He enthousiastically entered, with his companion Squirtle behind him the entire time. Matt awed at all of the different types of bug Pokémon he spotted.  
  
"Caterpie...Weedle...they're everywhere!" Matt said, in complete awe. He pulled out a Pokédex and compared their statistics to those of the Pokémon he had already captured. He shook his head. "The levels of these things are far too low for my tastes. I do have time to train, but I don't want to be backtracked by weaker Pokémon. I think I'll just leave them for now."  
  
Matt yawned and checked his watch. "It's nearly nine. I'm a bit tired, do you mind if we rest here for a bit?"  
  
Squirtle blinked in response. A Pokémon does everything its trainer says, so if we rest here, it shouldn't be a problem, right? Matt thought to himself.  
  
Matt sat under a tree and began to absorb himself into deep thinking again. Team Rocket...how could I have never heard of this group before? Are they some sort of secret organization? Regardless, I'll have to remain on high alert on all times. Also, I should have contacted my parents back home; they're probably wondering how I'm doing. Pewter City is on the other side of the forest, and if I move fast enough, I should make it there by evening. I'll make sure to give them a quick call then.  
  
After resting for ten minutes, Matt pulled himself back up. "Okay, let's keep on going!" He picked up Squirtle, placed his backpack on his shoulders and started walking again.  
  
Matt tried hard not to become too worried about Team Rocket. It was a trivial matter; there are far more issues to be thinking about right now, such as his Pokémon training. He had just started this journey, and there was no way that a small obstacle like Team Rocket could stop him.  
  
Besides, there was a gym match awaiting him in Pewter City that he must attend; and it is rude to keep others waiting.  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	4. Two New Acquaintences

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 4: Two New Acquaintances  
  
  
  
The Viridian Forest is vast, and wide. Though there was a blunt dirt path placed which can get one from Viridian City to Pewter City, it was very possible to get lost. Matt made sure to check his map several times so that this misfortune would never occur. He stopped to check his surroundings to make sure that Squirtle stayed close by; Matt had the urge to just place him back inside his Pokéball, because all Pokémon regardless of their behaviour or emotions are supposed to be carried around in it, aren't they? Matt asked himself.  
  
A rustling in a nearby bush caught Matt's attention. As he looked, he noticed two large horns with many thorns surrounding it. This seemed to be peculiar, and Matt looked even closer. The horns moved further away from the bush, as the creature's entire body was revealed. An exoskeleton...must be a bug Pokémon, Matt thought. A Pokémon with two claws, and a face which resembled anger looked deep into Matt. He was ecstatic.  
  
"Whoa! A Pinsir! I've heard about these, but I never would have thought that I could find any of them here! I've gotta have it!"  
  
Matt took out his Pokédex and looked up specific information. "Great! Bug Pokémon are weak against Flying Pokémon! Squirtle, you just sit down and relax." Matt then pulled out a Pokéball containing Spearow inside. He then pressed a small button around its center, which enlarged it. He then tossed it close towards Pinsir.  
  
As the Pokéball struck the ground, it opened up. A blast of white light surrounded the area, as Spearow's form then took place.  
  
"Spearow!" the Pokémon screeched.  
  
"Go, Spearow! Give him your Peck attack!" Matt commanded.  
  
The Spearow screeched again, staring towards its opponent. It took flight, then instantly dropped its altitude at a rapid pace, diving at the Pinsir. Pinsir stood completely still, taking the attack head on. Regaining its balance, it quickly lunged itself forward, and grabbed Spearow tightly within its claws.  
  
"This can't be good. Spearow, use Leer!" Matt yelled.  
  
Spearow managed to break itself free from Pinsir's grasp and stared deeply into Pinsir's eyes. Pinsir was startled and shocked, that it began to lose its balance. Spearow then attacked from its position from the sky, pecking at Pinsir from point blank. Pinsir, not to be outdone, quickly pulled itself to its feet, and leaped at Spearow. It clutched Spearow tightly within its grasp, and collided it heavily onto the ground.  
  
Matt clenched his teeth and formed a fist. Clearly Pinsir must have suffered from that high up, too, he thought to himself.  
  
"You can do it! Give it another Peck!" Matt yelled.  
  
Spearow flapped its wings and soared into the air. It then landed in front of Pinsir, who had yet to recover and stand up. Spearow took advantage, and struck Pinsir heavily several times with its beak. Matt enlarged an empty Pokéball, and threw it at the Pinsir. Once captured inside, it didn't resist much; Matt had just captured another Pokémon.  
  
Matt smiled, realizing that he had just capturing his third Pokémon in only his first day. He went up and picked up the captured Pinsir. He tossed and caught the Pokéball before minimizing it and placing it back on his Pokémon belt. He then smiled at Spearow before calling it back inside its ball, then placing it back on his Pokémon belt.  
  
Matt beckoned for Squirtle to follow him, when a youthful voice called out from behind him.  
  
"Greetings, Pokémon Trainer...."  
  
Matt turned around, and saw somebody fully armed in strange, antique-looking armour. A steel helmet covered his head, so his face was difficult to see. He observed this person carefully.  
  
"Who are you?" Matt asked.  
  
"HAI-YEEEEEE-A!" the kid screamed with fury, unsheathing a katana and pointed it very close towards Matt's neck.  
  
"Hey!" Matt yelled, backing up. "Who...who are you? Are you part of Team Rocket?"  
  
The kid laughed, and lowered his sword. "No, no, no. I am a fellow Pokémon Trainer, a Bug Catcher to be precice." He placed his sword back into its sheath. "I am Samurai. I wish to challenge you."  
  
"Are you insane?!" Matt exclaimed, "going around this forest swinging a sword like that; you could really scare a few people. Myself included!"  
  
"I meant no harm to you; I would just like a Pokémon battle. A best-of-three," Samurai said, smirking. "Choose your two best Pokémon, and I'll choose mine."  
  
"Wait a second, I didn't even agree to this," Matt replied. "But fine. How much will the winning trainer get?"  
  
"What?" Samarai replied, confused.  
  
"What do you mean, 'what'? You know, we have to agree on a certain wager on whoever wins the battle. The winning trainer claims the money that both trainers agreed on earlier. How much are you willing to wager?"  
  
"Oh, very well...how does fifty sound?"  
  
"Fifty? That's a bit out of my price range."  
  
"I won't go any lower than that," Samurai replied, crossing his arms.  
  
"Seriously, if I lose, I won't be able to pay that amount," Matt complained. "Couldn't we lower the wager just a little bit?"  
  
"Fine then. If you lose, you hand me what little money you have, plus that Pinsir you've recently captured. I wouldn't mind selling THAT Pokémon for some extra dough...."  
  
"My offer is thirty," Matt responded, his arms crossed.  
  
"Very well. Thirty. Now, are we ready to battle or not?" Samurai asked impatiently.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, come on," Matt replied, grabbing a minimized Pokéball from his belt and clutching it tightly in his hand. "Your move."  
  
"If that's the way it will be, then fine." Samurai pulled out a Pokéball and enlarged it. He tossed it into the now-claimed battlefield. The ball struck the ground, and sprang open. A short yet stout Pokémon appeared. Matt recognized it at once; it was a Caterpie.  
  
"Okay, Squirtle. Go!" Matt commanded.  
  
Squirtle nodded and dashed into the battlefield, staring straight into Caterpie.  
  
"Squirtle, give it your Bubble attack!" Matt commanded.  
  
Squirtle took in a deep breath, fillings his lungs out completely, before exhaling a barrage of tiny, yet powerful bubbles. Caterpie shut its eyes in its defense, and took each bubble head-on.  
  
"Caterpie, fight back with String Shot!" Samurai commanded.  
  
Caterpie regained its stamina after the the attack given by Squirtle, and instantly fired a thin, but lengthy stream of string. Squirtle was too slow to react, and held his arms up in defense. He was instantly covered in the substance, and had difficulty moving. The Caterpie then charged forward and struck Squirtle point blank from up front. The collision knocked Squirtle over, and had difficulty moving off from the back of its shell.  
  
"Damn it," Matt muttered, pulling a Pokéball out. "Squirtle, return."   
  
A red beam of light surrounded the Squirtle, reducing its form to match the red light. Squirtle had returned to his Pokéball for the first time since being let out earlier in the day.  
  
"I'm sorry about that, buddy. But I can't carry you around right now." Matt minimized the Pokéball, placing it back on his belt while enlarging the other Pokéball. When Matt looked back up into the battlefield, he saw the Caterpie spraying itself with its String Shot.  
  
"Wow! It's evolving!" Samurai said.   
  
As soon as Caterpie had completely covered itself, a bright light covered its entire body. Its form enlarged, and when the light dimmed, the Pokémon had expanded; its exoskeleton becoming tougher and glossier. Samurai gazed in amazement as his Caterpie had now become a Metapod.  
  
"Congratulations," Matt stated, throwing the enlarged Pokéball into the battlefield, "but I'm afraid this is where your celebration ends. Pidgey, Sand Attack!"  
  
Pidges set its eyes on Metapod, and began flapping its wings at a rapid pace, kicking up small dust particles into the air, entering the eyes of Medapod. Its vision had been hindered; it fell over, unsure of what to do next.  
  
"Beautiful! Now Pidgey, use Quick Attack!" Matt commanded.  
  
Pidgey dove from its previous position in the air and struck Metapod from the ground itself, sending it flying into a nearby tree. Metapod was no longer moving; it was unconscious.  
  
"I forgot that it knows how to harden itself," Samurai muttered, snapping his fingers. He pulled out its Pokéball. "Metapod, return." Once the Metapod had returned inside its Pokéball, Samurai had enlarged his second Pokéball. He then threw it out into the battlefield. Pinsir, very similar to the one that Matt had recently captured, had appeared.  
  
"Pidgey, Sand Attack!" Matt commanded right away. It's an effective strategy, he thought to himself. If it works, I might as well keep on using it! Matt smirked.  
  
Pidgey, spotting Pinsir, flapped its wings at a rapid pace once again. The battlefield was once again filled up with a cloud of dust; sand particles were irritating Pinsir's eyes.  
  
"Not again. Pinsir, Seismic Toss!" Samurai shouted.  
  
Pinsir, its eyes still irritated, began swinging its claws rapidly, hoping in desperation to capture the Pidgey within its grasp to haul up into the air and slam into the ground with pure strength. However, its eyes became too irritated that it shut them tightly and covered them with its claws.  
  
"Pidgey, Quick Attack!" Matt commanded.  
  
Pidgey, instantly acknowledging the command, swooped down from above, striking Pinsir hard off balance. The collision sent Pinsir colliding heavily with the ground. Pinsir was not moving.  
  
"Return, Pinsir," Samurai stated, absorbing Pinsir back inside. As the dust cloud had now cleared, he looked at Matt and instantly pulled out some bills and coins. "You've won fair and square. Here, take it."  
  
"Thank you," Matt replied, graciously taking the money offered by the Samurai. He was thrilled; everything seemed to be going his way today.  
  
"Where are you from anyway?" Samurai asked.  
  
"Pardon me?" Matt asked, at the same time absorbing Pidgey back inside its Pokéball. "Oh, where am I from? Pallet Town." Matt minimized the Pokéball and placed it back on his Pokémon belt.  
  
"If that's all, then I'll be off. Be careful how you use that sword," Matt commented.  
  
"I shall," Samurai replied, laughing.  
  
As they both waved each other farewell, Matt continued to walk along the path in Viridian City, when he spots nearby a small lake. He then released his Squirtle out of his Pokéball, and allowed him to swim around, allowing some of the sticky substance from Caterpie's attack to wash away. Squirtle then climbed out, and was ready to go.  
  
As Matt and his Squirtle continued to walk along, they suddenly saw a cloud of smoke inundate the area. Matt instantly covered his nose; the fumes given off by the smoke was irritating to his sense of smell. As the smoke cloud gradually cleared, he saw one man and one woman, both dressed in completely black uniforms with a large red 'R' on the front of their shirts. Their arms were covered in long, dark gray gloves, and their boots were a polished brown.  
  
Matt removed his hands from his face and took a few steps back in shock. No doubt about it, he thought to himself, this has to be Team Rocket, but...but what do I do now?  
  
"Good Afternoon, sir," the man stated. Matt took a long look at him; he was slightly tanned, with dark, ominous eyes, and long black hair, tied back in a ponytail..  
  
"Yes. Greetings, sir," the woman followed up. Her skin was slightly paler, with mesmerizing blue eyes, and shoulder-length brown hair.  
  
"You...you're from Team Rocket, aren't you?!" Matt asked, somewhat afraid.  
  
"My, my, my. What a smart kid; this is the first time we've seen him, and he already knows who we are," the man replied, laughing. "But of course, it doesn't really matter; I sincerely doubt we'll be seeing him again."  
  
"Well, don't be so inconsiderate; introduce yourself!" the woman commanded, nudging the man.  
  
"Oh, but of course, my dear, how could I ever have forgotten such a thing?" He bowed. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zach."  
  
"And my name is Cloë," the woman replied, brushing her hands through her hair. "You should be flattered to see us; all of the other members of Team Rocket are so crude."  
  
"So very crude; so, we've decided to be short, sweet and to the point," Zach added, holding out the palm of his hand with Cloë doing the same. "Since you know us so well, this shouldn't be of any difficulty at all. Hand over all of your Pokémon at once."  
  
"What? You want my Pokémon?" Matt asked, somewhat confused. "You know, the Pokémon that I have aren't really that difficult to capture. You can find them everywhere in this forest."  
  
Zach and Cloë gasped in response.  
  
"D...did you hear that?" Cloë asked, staring straight into Zach's eyes. "He...did he just tell us to go search for these Pokémon on our own?"  
  
"I...I believe he did," Zach replied, looking back towards Matt. "I believe you don't appreciate the seriousness of this situation, good sir. If you just simply handed over your Pokémon, we will do you no harm."  
  
Matt began to get annoyed. "Look, you're standing in my way. Let me pass," he stated boldly.  
  
"My, the kid has guts!" Cloë gasped. "It seems he is eager to die!"  
  
"We must explain it to him again," Zach commented, then looked back towards Matt. "We have agreed that as soon as you give us all of your Pokémon, you may pass. It is either that, or you will have to face severe consequences. Which will it be?"  
  
"I don't plan to give them up so easily," Matt replied, spitting by his feet. "If you want them, you'll have to take them from me by force."  
  
"It seems he does not understand," Zach sighed.  
  
"If you want them taken by force, then that's exactly how it's going to be," Cloë sharply stated, creating a fist.  
  
"Oh, give me a break," Matt gave off an exasperated sigh. "Look, I don't have time with you...people."  
  
"Such rudeness!" Cloë stated, winding up and tossing an enlarged Pokémon in front of her. "Go, Machop!" A short, yet very muscular Pokémon appeared out of the ball and stared deeply into Matt's face.  
  
"All right then--" Matt began, searching for a Pokéball of his choice.  
  
"Nidoran, go!" Zach shouted pulled out a Pokéball and threw it. A small blue Pokémon with several dark spots all over its body appeared onto the battlefield beside Machop. Matt recognized it as a female Nirodan.  
  
"What the--HEY!" Matt shouted, lowering his arm with the minimized Pokéball. "You can't battle with two Pokémon at once; that's a strict violation!"  
  
Zach and Cloë looked deep into each others eyes, then at Matt's, then at theirs once more. They both suddenly broke out into a fit of heavy laughter.  
  
Matt crossed his arms. "I fail to see the humour."  
  
Squirtle, standing beside Matt, was also confused.  
  
"You...you expected us, super villains, to be worried about rules issued by some ridiculously powerless Pokémon League?" Cloë said, wiping away tears from her eyes. "You said yourself we would have to take them by force, and that Squirtle looks like it could easily be taken down."  
  
Matt placed the minimized Pokéball back on his Pokémon belt and crossed his arms. "I don't care how many Pokémon you send towards me at once; if I'm going to battle you, I'm going to do it individually," Matt said, spitting yet again.  
  
"My dear, I've had enough of this talking; let's just attack him," Zach pointed towards his female Nidoran. "Nidoran, use Poison Sting!"  
  
"Machop, Seismic Toss!" Cloë shouted.  
  
Matt's eyes widened, listening to the commands just given to their Pokémon. Are...are they going to use them to attack me?! Matt asked himself. As soon as his thought completed, Nidoran had unleashed several sharp needles towards Matt. He quickly jumped to the ground, dodging the attack, however from behind, Machop wrapped his arms around both of Matt's legs, and threw him heavily into a tree.  
  
Matt slowly pulled himself to his feet, rubbing his head. "Hey, you bastards, that really hurt," he muttered, cracking his knuckles. "Fine, then. If you're going to have your own Pokémon assault me, it looks like I'll have to retaliate!"  
  
Matt pushed himself off of the tree on which he was leaning and dashed right towards his closest target, which was Machop. He pulled back his leg, and launched it forward, striking Machop in the lower abdomen. Machop was launched across the field, and landed directly into the mid-section of Zach, knocking both of them over in pain.  
  
"Hey!" Cloë complained. "That's not fair; he's fighting back!"  
  
"If you're allowed to fight dirty, you hypocrite, than so can I!" Matt yelled. He then spit once again and tapped his fist into an open palm. "You want to keep trying me?"  
  
Suddenly, a loud buzzing noise was heard as a motorcycle ripped past several trees while entering the battlefield. Its brakes are heavily pressed, as the sand from the dirt path was kicked up into the air. A female officer with somewhat curly, shoulder length hair and sharp, determined eyes jumped off the motorcycle, and gazed strictly at both Cloë and Zach.  
  
"Team Rocket?! I thought you'd be here," the officer said, pulling out two sets of handcuffs. "I'm placing you both under arrest this instant!"  
  
"Damn it, the police always comes in to wreck our fun," Zach muttered, pulling himself to his feet while holding up a small gray ball in his hand. "Don't take this personal victory to heart, kid; we'll be back!"  
  
Zach tossed heavily the ball into the ground, as heavy smoke began to fill the air. The smoke was unpleasant for Matt's and Squirtle's lungs as they both begin to cough profusely.  
  
"It was a smoke bomb!" Matt shouted between coughs. He then dropped to his knees, and held Squirtle close to him. "This could be a cheap trick to try and steal you!" Matt roughly shouted, coughing again.  
  
Several moments had passed, and Matt had discovered that nothing was happening. The smoke cloud began to clear, as the terrible smoke filling his lungs was vanishing fast. Matt released a huge sigh of relief and pulled himself to his feet.  
  
"Thank you, officer," Matt said, dusting himself off before coughing again. "They tried to steal my Pokémon."  
  
"Hey, no problem. My name is Jenny," the officer stated, and smiled. "Have you been harmed?"  
  
"Their Pokémon gave me a bit of a beating, but I'll be all right," Matt replied, rubbing his head.  
  
Jenny nodded in response. "Team Rocket has appeared everywhere lately. You'd be best to find a traveling companion," she stated.  
  
"Yeah...some old man back in Viridian City told me exactly the same thing," Matt said, releasing a stiff laugh to follow.  
  
Jenny smiled. "Well, as long as you know, that's the most important thing," she said while climbing back on top of her motorcycle. She then looked back at Matt. "Well, have a safe trip."  
  
Jenny shifted gears on her motorcycle, and took off, from the direction she entered the battlefield.  
  
Matt looked at Squirtle, who then looked back at him. Matt smiled and continued to walking down the path of Viridian Forest, hoping to reach the exit before to long.  
  
"Team Rocket...that encounter wasn't as bad as the old man made it seem," Matt commented aloud, "however, I recall that old man saying that they've been responsible for murder in the past, so I can't take anything for granted. Without a doubt, Squirtle, we'll be seeing them again."  
  
Matt stretched and yawned. "But other than that, it's been a really good day. How about when we get to Pewter City we take the rest of the day off?" Matt asked.  
  
Squirtle nodded in response and grinned.  
  
"Then it's settled. Let's go."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	5. The First Badge Battle

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 5: The First Badge Battle  
  
  
  
As Matt continued walking down the dirt path of Viridian Forest, he noticed how quickly the amount of trees gradually reduced. This could only mean one thing to him: the forest was coming to an end, and Pewter City was on the other side.  
  
His instincts would not betray him; for after passing the final tree of the Viridian Forest, there it was. A large sign with a pleasant greeting, stating, 'Welcome to Pewter City!' followed with a small chart of specific information. Matt took a look at it, and realized it was nothing important. Population, places to visit, and basic tourist information.  
  
Behind Matt was Squirtle, who was not as far behind as when he was first released from his Pokéball. Resting in the Pokéball for a long period of time did not seem to be pleasing to Squirtle, hence he refuses re-entry. Matt understood this, and without hesitation or respite allowed Squirtle to follow him around freely.  
  
Upon entering Pewter City, Matt noticed a short man with a touque completely covering his head selling rocks. Matt found this strange and did his best to ignore the man. He then checked around Pewter City and noticed plenty of tall buildings, and particularly the sun setting.  
  
Matt looked at his watch. Traversing through the Viridian Forest took him much longer thatn he thought; It was already getting into the later evening stages.  
  
"This is enough for one day," Matt said aloud to his Squirtle; "let's go find a Pokémon Center to spend the night. We can go look for the gym tomorrow, okay?"  
  
Squirtle nodded in response, and continued to follow Matt with complete obedience.  
  
Upon turning the corner at a quiet intersection, Matt noticed the Pokémon Center and pointed it out. After entering the large building, he approached the front desk and rang for Nurse Joy.  
  
"Just a moment!" a voice called from the back room almost similar to the one in Viridian City.  
  
Matt looked around. For once, there were actually a few trainers. He started to examine them, and concluded that all of them were much younger than he was. Of course, this was the year where Pokémon age qualifications were significantly lowered to the age of ten, as opposed to eighteen which has been followed for the past several decades.  
  
Nurse Joy finally exited the back room and approached Matt. "Sorry for the wait; how may I help you?" she asked.  
  
"Um, here," Matt replied bluntly, handing over his Pokéballs from his Pokémon belt. "Sorry about Squirtle; he hates the Pokéball. Is it all right if you take him like this?"  
  
"Of course," Nurse Joy replied, putting the minimized Pokéballs on the tray before picking up Squirtle. "It seems you've had a few encounters with some bug Pokémon."  
  
"How did you know?" Matt asked.  
  
"It seems to be covered in String Shot," Joy replied.  
  
"Oh, that," Matt responded. "Yeah, we met a trainer in the woods, a rather crazy one actually who had a Caterpie. I tried to take off as much of the attack as I could, but...well...."  
  
"That's all right. I've dealt with worse," Joy replied, picking up a tray. "Are you interested in staying for the night?"  
  
"Actually...yeah. Are there any rooms available?"  
  
"Plenty. Here, you can have Room 24. It's upstairs. Your Pokémon will be ready in the morning," Joy stated, and walked off into the back room.  
  
"That was rather sudden of her," Matt commented, then turning his attention toward the key. "Oh well. I'll go to my room then and spend the night."  
  
Matt turned around and began approaching the stairs to the second floor. Before reaching it, he notices a Pokémon League poster.   
  
"The Indigo Pokémon League. I would watch these championship matches every year," Matt smiled, continuing to read the poster. "Just as I thought; I need eight badges in order to enter. But then...I thought that Viridian City itself was a qualifying gym? If it's closed, how do I get in?"  
  
Matt scratched his head. "That's very peculiar. I'll have to ask later." Matt walked up the set of stairs and unlocked his room. He uncovered the sheets on his bed, changed into his pajamas and crawled in. He couldn't stop smiling. This ends the first day of his journey. His first of many.  
  
* * *  
  
Matt waited patiently at the front desk behind a few other Pokémon trainers who are also waiting to collect their Pokémon. As it was finally his turn, Matt was handed his Squirtle, along with his Pinsir, Pidgey and Spearow.  
  
"You be careful out there; Team Rocket is on the loose."  
  
"It's okay, thank you."  
  
After exiting the Pokémon Center with his Squirtle behind him, Matt pulled out his map for directions. He began to walk down the sidewalk, continuing to walk in the same direction past one intersection. He glanced at his map again.  
  
"Okay...we need to go left here..." Matt put down his map and sees a large sign that says 'Pewter Gym'.   
  
"All right..." Matt walked past the sign and up a short set of stairs. Matt noticed that the area was surrounded by rocks. He walked up to two large doors and pushed one open. He gulped. "It's rather dark in here; I wonder if the leader's in?" he asked aloud. He looked down to his Squirtle. "Well, if he's not here, we could just wait for him, I guess.  
  
"Squirtle?" Squirtle looked around, seeing nobody in the gym.  
  
Matt took a couple of steps forward in the dark, hoping not to collide into anything. "There aren't even any windows in here--hello? Is the leader in?" Matt asked.  
  
Suddenly, a clicking noise was made, as a light had just been turned on. Matt had covered his eyes, which had just been adjusted to the darkness. Afterwards, he noticed that there was a rather short man sitting down upon a large stone pedestal. He had brown pants, an orange shirt, and a green vest.  
  
"Can I help you?" he asked.  
  
Matt looked at the man and lowered his hands from his eyes. "Actually, yeah. Do you know if the gym leader is in?" Matt asked.  
  
"I am he. My name is Brock," he replied, pulling himself to his feet. "I apologize, but it's part of my polocy to ask; is this your first gym battle?" Brock asked.  
  
Matt nodded. "Yeah...why? Is it different from any regular trainer match?"  
  
"There are rules which are a little bit different than a battling a regular trainer. We must use two Pokémon each. It's a two-of-three match," Brock explained.  
  
Matt seemed to be a little confused. "That's not that much different than the trainer battle I was fighting the other day," Matt replied.  
  
"The substitution is a little bit different," Brock began; "since you are the challenging trainer, you may substitute between your two Pokémon whenever you like. As for me, however, I can only substituse Pokémon when my previous one has been rendered unconscious."  
  
"I see," Matt replied.  
  
Brock turned his attention towards Matt's Squirtle. "A water Pokémon...interesting. Since you are a beginning trainer, perhaps this match will not be difficult for you. That is, if your Squirtle has already learned its water attacks."  
  
"Shall we get going?" Matt said.  
  
"Very well." Brock replied, flipping a switch. The entire gym is now fully lit, as two platforms begin to close in together. Matt jumped up on one side to avoid being crushed  
  
Brock leaped up from where he was sitting and landed in front of the battlefield, with an enlarged Pokéball in his hand.  
  
"The match will begin," Brock stated, throwing his Pokéball into the battlefield. As the Pokéball opens, Matt watches in awe as a large Pokémon takes form. Upon its arrival into the battlefield, it releases a loud, pulsating and intimidating growl.  
  
Squirtle trembles and takes a few steps back.  
  
"Perhaps my Onix appears to be a bit too much for your small Squirtle," Brock commented.  
  
"Good lord, that thing is huge!" Matt responded. He looked at Squirtle. "You heard what he said, Squirtle. Rock Pokémon absolutely detest water, so get in there and try a Water Gun!"  
  
Squirtle nodded and dashed into the battlefield, staring directly into the eyes of the large rock Pokémon. After taking in a large breath, it exhales, releasing water directly into the eyes of Onix. In response Onix cried out in pain, as it collapsed into the battlefield roughly, causing a a tremor in the ground.  
  
Squirtle's balance was hindered after the Onix's collision with the ground. He watched carefully as Onix slowly pulled itself up.  
  
"Squirtle, don't stand there; it's down! Try Water Gun again!" Matt yelled.  
  
"We won't go for that twice; Onix, swipe at it!" Brock shouts.  
  
As Squirtle was preparing another Water Gun attack, he quickly shifted his eyes towards Onix's tail, which had just been risen above his head. As a desperate response, Squirtle cancelled his attack and created an attempt to shield itself from the oncoming collision. Onix's tail struck directly across Squirtle, sending it off of its feet and crashing into the hard rock surface below.  
  
"Damn!" Matt shouted. "Squirtle...are you all right?"  
  
Squirtle pulled himself to his feet, wiping his mouth to check for blood. He looked into his claw and noticed that he had been hit quite heavily. Squirtle spat to his right and walked back to where it was standing.  
  
"How interesting," Brock commented; "it appears that Squirtle didn't like that last attack. It's rare to see a Pokémon of that small stature with that much pride."  
  
Onix, now fully standing again, stared directly at Squirtle with its tail in the air again. It swung it down towards Squirtle, in an attempt to knock it off its feet again, but Squirtle switfly jumped to the side. He then jumped on top of Onix's tail and began to climb up its long, snake-like body.  
  
Matt watched in disbelief. "Squirtle, what are you doing? You can't climb up there; that's dangerous!"  
  
Squirtle, ignoring the plea from his trainer had clasped itself onto Onix's back. Onix, frustrated, began to move, in hopes that Squirtle would release his grip. The attempt was made in vain. Squirtle inhaled deeply and sprayed Onix's entire back with a thick stream of water. Onix began to panic and shifted around more. Squirtle continued its persistent attack.  
  
Onix, its body now drenched with water, gave up and collapsed heavily into the battlefield below. Squirtle leaped off seconds before the collision, and landed directly in front of Matt.  
  
Matt was surprised, yet somewhat disgusted by this motive. His Pokémon had acted out of turn; this did not sit well with him. He dropped down to one knee and looked directly into Squirtle.  
  
"Did you not hear me back there, Squirtle?" Matt asked sternly. "I had made a direct command not to climb up that Onix's back. I also did not make the order to attack it." Squirtle dropped his face, and looked to the side.  
  
"Hey, look at me," Matt ordered.  
  
Squirtle looked back up at Matt.  
  
"You doubted my strategy, didn't you?" Matt asked. Squirtle tried to look away, but Matt grabbed his face and forced him to look into his eyes. "Squirtle, look. Perhaps that last attack made you angry, but regardless, you have to listen to me, all right? You may think that I don't know what I'm doing, but I do. I understand what you've just accomplished, and I like it very much, but in the future, you have to listen to me, understand?"  
  
Squirtle nodded, somewhat shameful.  
  
"Now, I'm not angry. We'll talk more once we finish this match, all right?" Matt asked. "Now get back out there."  
  
"Return, Onix!" Brock said, calling Onix back inside his Pokéball. Enlarging another one, he threw it onto the battlefield. "Perhaps I should have played Geodude first, but I guess that can't be helped now."  
  
"Squirtle, can you get another Water Gun attack out of you?" Matt asked.  
  
Squirtle looked at the Geodude, before slowly allowing himself to slip onto the hard, rocky ground.  
  
"I guess that counter attack took more out of you than you thought at first. That's a rather delayed reaction," Matt responded. "But I guess when you took that moment to relax, it all hit you at once. That's all right, I'll choose another Pokémon." He pulled out a minimized Pokéball and enlarges it.  
  
"Flying types won't do much damage against them, so I'll have to use Pinsir!" Matt threw the Pokéball into the battlefield. Upon striking the ground, it sprangs open, with Pinsir taking form.  
  
"This should be interesting." Brock commented with a smirk on his face. "Geodude, Tackle attack!"  
  
Geodude repelled itself from a nearby rock, lunging at Pinsir, but Pinsir was given too much time to react, and jumped aside.  
  
"Good work! Now, try Guillotine!" Matt commanded.  
  
Pinsir quickly picked up some speed, dashing towards the Geodude, and with its two horns on top of its head it picked it up and begans to squeeze the two horns together. However, since Geodude is a practically a rock in itself, the attack did little damage to its body. The Geodude breaks itself free with a strong effort, then tackled Pinsir into a nearby rock.  
  
"Crap," Matt muttered. "What other attacks does Pinsir know...that's it! Pinsir, Seismic Toss!"  
  
After pulling itself to its feet, Pinsir quickly grasped Geodude within its two long, sharp claws, and jumped high into the air. Pinsir lifted Geodude quickly over its head, then violently slammed it hard on the rocky plain. Geodude was still conscious, but could barely move. Not too far from Geodude, Pinsir lands on its feet.  
  
"Okay, Pinsir!" Matt shouted. "It's down! One more hit shou--"  
  
"Wait!" Brock yelled.  
  
"Huh?" Matt looked at Brock. "What? What's wrong?"  
  
"Don't bother attacking; you can see how badly Geodude is hurt. It can't attack in its current position. I'll just declare you the winner."  
  
"Really?" Matt asked, enlightened by Brock's last comment. "You mean...I won?" His face grew a large smile.  
  
"I won!" Matt jumped. He then called back Pinsir inside of its Pokéball and picked up his Squirtle. "Pinsir was fantastic, but YOU were incredible!"  
  
Brock smiled and pulled out a grey stone-like badge. He walked up to Matt and offered it to him, open palm. "Because of your victory, I award you the Boulder Badge," Brock said..  
  
"Wow, thank you." Matt said. He took the badge, and stared at it for what seemed to be a long time for him. "Wow...I actually have a badge!"  
  
"You're the first Pokémon trainer in a while to have put up such an effort like that. The past couple of years here hasn't been quite so thrilling. You're the first trainer to have beaten me in about two years!" Brock said.  
  
Brock then looked closely at Matt, but seemed somewhat confused.  
  
"Wait a second, how old are you?" Brock asked.  
  
"Me? Fifteen," Matt replied.  
  
"Fifteen?" Brock asked, surprised.  
  
"Yeah. Didn't you hear? The new league rule states that you have to be at least ten-years-old before you can start out on your Pokémon journey."  
  
"Ten? You don't say..." Brock muttered. "Well, thanks for the warning. Now my gym's going to become much busier. By the way, where do you come from, if you don't mind me asking?"  
  
"Pallet," Matt responded.  
  
"Pallet...sorry, I haven't heard of it. Oh, wait, is it that town near Viridian City?" Brock asked.  
  
"That's the one."  
  
"Wow. Any other trainers from there?"  
  
"I think so. Three or four more, I suppose. Why?"  
  
"Wow...my gym's going to be MUCH busier than I thought. I'll need to prepare. Well, congratulations on your victory. If you'll excuse me..." Brock hastely put his two Pokéballs into a backpack and exited the gym by the back door.  
  
"Everybody's in a hurry for something," Matt commented. He then looked back at Squirtle. "Well, ready to go back to the Pokémon Center?"  
  
Squirtle nodded, excited.  
  
Again checking the map to make sure he wouldn't get lost, Matt walked back to the Pokémon Center with an exhausted Squirtle resting in his arms.  
  
"Hello again, how did you do?" Joy asked.  
  
Matt showed Joy the badge.  
  
"Wow!" Joy exclaimed. "That's incredible; nobody's been able to win at that gym for a while now! Do your Pokémon need healing again?  
  
Matt nodded. "Squirtle is just tired, and Pinsir just needs some perking to do."  
  
Joy smiled. "I'll be back in a few minutes, you just relax yourself." She took the two Pokémon into the back room.  
  
Matt found a nearby bench and decided to rest his feet, so he sat down. He looked around the center as he always does, spotting a few people in the lounge reading magazines, and two other trainers talking about trading Pokémon. One of them even started gossiping about how Brock was finally beaten for the first time in a long time. Matt smiled.  
  
"Whoa...wait a minute!" Matt thought aloud. "My parents!"  
  
He quickly jumped off of the bench and ran towards a nearby picture phone. He then dialed his home number.  
  
After the phone rang twice, somebody picked up the phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Matt watched an image open up on the screen; it was his mother.  
  
"Mom! Hi!"  
  
"Matthew? Oh! Where are you right now?"  
  
"I'm in Pewter City! I've just won a badge there, see?" Matt replied, holding up his Boulder Badge to the monitor. "I'll be heading out to Mount Moon as soon as the nurse comes back with my Pokémon."  
  
"That's fantastic. I don't know what to say," Matt's mother replied, wiping away a tear.  
  
"Oh for crying out loud mom, don't get all melo-dramatic on me," Matt replied, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand.  
  
"I'm sorry...--oh! Hey, did you know that one of the trainers got a Pikachu?"  
  
Matt's eyes widened. "A Pikachu? No freaking way!"  
  
"I'm serious! The professor called as soon as he gave out this last Pokémon. He didn't wake up until well after noon."  
  
"Are you kidding me?! I was in Viridian City at the time!" Matt replied.  
  
"Well, still, it's nice that you called. I thought that your departure yesterday morning was rather sudden. You didn't even come talk to us or anything."  
  
"I wanted to be early."  
  
"I understand. You'll call me when you get to the next city, won't you? I don't think Mount Moon has a phone there."  
  
"They have a Pokémon Center, I think."  
  
"Well, make sure to call, okay?"  
  
"I will. Tell Jess I said, 'hi'. And I'll try to catch a Clefairy for her."  
  
Matt's mother laughed in response. "I will."  
  
"Bye!" Matt placed the receiver back on its hook and approached the front desk, as Joy was waiting.  
  
"Thank you very much," Matt said, putting the minimized Pokéball containing Pinsir back onto his Pokémon belt. He lifted Squirtle off of the desk and placed him down gently on the floor.  
  
Matt exited the Pokémon Center and began walking east, which will lead them to the foot of Mount Moon. Squirtle was always directly beside him, if not moving a little bit faster. Matt looked at his Boulder Badge, wondering where to place it. Unsure of where to place it, he put it into his left pocket of his jeans.  
  
"We can't rest. Not while the sun is out. We'll keep going until it sets."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	6. A New Friend

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 6: A New Friend  
  
  
  
Matt, after winning his first badge at Pewter City, is feeling rather proud of himself. After some experience with trainer battles, he felt he is ready to take his Pokémon training to the next level by collecting the remaining badges at the other Indigo gyms while at the same time increasing his Pokémon collection.  
  
Squirtle, Matt's first Pokémon, was not too far behind him, still disliking the tight confinement of the Pokéball. He however realized that there are certain times when he must return, regardless of his personal thoughts. After all, Matt is his trainer; he knows best.  
  
Walking down the long, dark cavern of Mount Moon, Matt stopped to look at the archetecture on the walls.  
  
"Wow, Squirtle, take a look at this," Matt said, hearing slight echo from his voice. "Heh, cool. But seriously, come and look."  
  
Squirtle, somewhat interested took a look at the cavern walls. He didn't exactly understand what was so intriguing about these walls.  
  
"I think it's cool," Matt commented. He then turned his attention to further down in the cave, where there were several lanterns and digging tools scattered all over the ground.  
  
"I wonder what all of these are for?" Matt muttered. "Are they digging for something?"  
  
Matt walked closer to the tools to investigate out of curiosity. However, he heard a small digging noise not too far from him. He turned his attention toward it, and spotted a red, insect-like creature planting some mushrooms into the ground.  
  
"A bug Pokémon?" Matt asked himself aloud then stands up. "Hey, isn't that a Paras? Cool! If I catch that, then I'll have five Pokémon to carry around."  
  
Matt pulled out a Pokéball from his Pokémon belt and enlarged it. He then tossed it onto the ground close to the Paras.  
  
"Spearow, go!" The Pokéball sprung open, with Spearow's shape taking form. It screeched upon its release.  
  
"Spearow, Peck Attack!"   
  
Paras, hearing the Spearow's cry turned around to witness its surroundings. However, it turned around just in time to be struck by several peckings from the Spearow. The persistent attacks eventually flipped Paras over on its back. Matt quickly pulled out an empty Pokéball and threw it at the weakened Paras. After the Pokémon was confined, it began shifting around. It stopped after a few more seconds.  
  
"That was a bit too easy," Matt commented. "Well, I hope that this isn't a weak Pokémon...."  
  
Matt picked up his new capture and patted Spearow on the head for a job well done. In case of future encounters, Matt decided to keep his Spearow outside of the Pokéball.  
  
As Matt continueed to walk down the vast cavern of Mount Moon, he was rather disturbed by the continued silence. The only sounds which he could hear are his footfalls, the quieter yet blunt footfalls of the Squirtle, and the Spearow on his shoulder who picked through its feathers in an attempt to groom itself.  
  
"Was this Paras the only Pokémon here?" Matt wondered.  
  
Several moments later, the sound of metal hitting the cavern walls was heard.  
  
"Keep working, Zach!" a female voice shouted.  
  
Matt stopped in his tracks. "Wait a second...I know that voice," he quietly muttered, placing his index finger on his chin, and his thumb close to his mouth.  
  
An exasperated sigh is heard shortly after. "Come now, I've dug everywhere! Surely you don't want my delicate gloves to get ruined doing such meaningless mine work! Let's just give up!!"  
  
Matt's eyes widened. "Team Rocket?!" he said, almost too loud. In reaction he covered his mouth, hoping that he wasn't heard.  
  
Matt took a few steps back slowly, but Squirtle didn't realize what was happening, and had his foot stepped on.  
  
"Squirtle!" Squirtle yelled, pulling his foot back and started rubbing it.  
  
"Damn it! I'm sorry!" Matt replied, kneeling down towards Squirtle.  
  
"Who's there?" demanded the female voice. She walked around the corner and saw Matt, Squirtle and Spearow. "You! It's you!"  
  
"Huh?" the male voice replied and quickly took a peek around the corner. "Oh my, Cloë, that little rat has returned! Upon our retreat from the Viridian Forest, we nearly were captured by the police."  
  
"Nearly!" Cloë replied.  
  
"You little rat. You made us so very angry that we had to capture some even stronger Pokémon than the last time so that we may do away with you," Zach said.  
  
"You guys are a joke," Matt commented. "Don't think I'll be losing to the likes of you." Matt stood up and dusted off his knees.  
  
"This time, we know better. We shall strike at once!" Cloë shouted, throwing a Pokéball. "Clefairy, go!"  
  
"Vulpix, go!" Zach said.  
  
The two Pokéballs struck the ground as the both sprang open. A sout, pink Pokémon with small wings appeared from one Pokéball, and a small fox-like Pokémon with several tails appeared from the other.  
  
"Fine...if you want to use two Pokémon at once, then I'll do the same!" Matt replied, looking at both Squirtle and Spearow. "Get them!"  
  
Squirtle, from its neutral position attacked full force with its Water Gun. Since Vulpix was a fire-type, the water damaged it greatly. It attempted to counter with an attack of its own, but Squirtle struck it with a Tackle attack, sending it violently into the cavern walls.  
  
Spearow's speed and agility flew around Clefairy several times to lower its defenses. Clefairy, constantly watching and moving around in circles to keep in pace with the Spearow, became very dizzy. Spearow witnessed this as a perfect time to strike, and collided with it head on. Clefairy was sent off of its feet and crashing rougly into the ground. Neither Pokémon was moving.  
  
"No fair, no fair, no fair!" Zach complained. "We even put forth a lot of effort into taking these Pokémon! Fine, we'll just have to keep on fighting."  
  
Cloë grabbed Zach's hand which was reaching for another Pokéball.  
  
"Don't bother! We need to find the Moon Stone; we can't keep wasting time with such trivial matters!" Cloë pulled a smoke bomb, and throws it on the ground, completely fogging the area.   
  
"Damn it, not again!" Matt shouted, inhaling and coughing from the polluted air. He dropped to his knees and began to cough even harder.  
  
"Why the hell isn't the smoke clearing?!" Matt roughly shouted with tears in his eyes due to the hot smoke which continued to flood the area. "Is it because we're indoors?! Damn it! I'm going to suffocate!"  
  
Matt, slowly climbed up to his feet, then searched for both Squirtle and Spearow. The smoke had cleared slightly enough for Matt to see just a little bit. Having both of them in hand, he began to run; he was stopped shortly by tripping over the fallen Clefairy, and crashing violently with his elbows scraping into the ground.  
  
"OUCH! For the love of God!" He began to hyperventilate, but slowed down his breathing when he realized that the smoke was as a matter of fact clearing. He sighed, then slowly pulled himself to his feet, brushing off the pieces of rock that were stuck to his clothing.  
  
Matt looked at the cuts and scrapes on both his arms and legs. He then checked to make sure that Squirtle and Spearow were all right.  
  
Out of frustration, Matt looks down the long cavern and let out a frustrated yet: "Damn you, Team Rocket! I swear one of these days you'll get yours!" Matt shouted. He then sighed, and grinned. "Well...I feel better--hmm?"  
  
Matt noticed that both the Clefairy and Vulpix from the previous battle were left behind. Didn't Team Rocket say that they were stolen? Matt thought to himself.  
  
"It won't hurt having these two," Matt commented, searching for an empty Pokéball. "Crud, I only have a few left. I'll have to make sure to stock up when I get to the next city."  
  
Matt tapped both Vulpix and Clefairy with empty Pokéballs. Both of them were contained inside, and since they were both weakened, there was no conflict in either one of them. Picking up the two Pokéballs, one of them glowed brightly and vanished. The other Pokéball remained.  
  
"What the...? Where did it go?!" Matt shouted, and started to look around. "Wait a minute...I had four Pokémon coming in here, Paras made five and...of course! I can only hold six Pokémon at a time. Since I captured the Vulpix first, the Clefairy had to be the one which was sent back."  
  
Matt then turned his attention to the abandoned tools which were being used to pick at the walls. "Now I'm not so sure that this is a natural cavern. I could be wrong, but Team Rocket said that they were digging for some sort of stone. I guess that's why all the digging tools are here," Matt said aloud.  
  
Matt, certain that he may not battle any other Pokémon placed Spearow back inside of its Pokéball. With Squirtle right next to him, he continued to walk down the long cavern.  
  
Shortly, rapid and consistent footfalls were heard further ahead in the cavern, as if somebody was running. "Val! Val! Where are you?!" a female voice cried. "Val!!!"  
  
"Hello?!" Matt yelled. "Who's there?"  
  
The girl slows down, hearing the voice close. She then turned a corner and spotted Matt. "Oh, I'm sorry. Excuse me, my name is Lizzie, and I was wondering if you've seen a Vulpix? It's a fox-like Pokémon with about five tails. Team Rocket came and stole her from me," she explained.  
  
"Well, I found a Vulpix here just a few moments ago, but I don't know exactly if it's yours. I do recall Team Rocket saying it was stolen."  
  
"Really?! That has to be the one then!" Lizzie shouted.  
  
"I don't know, can you prove it to me?" Matt asked.  
  
Lizzie frowned. "Hey, why are you being so stuck-up? It has to be mine, I know it is!" she shouted.  
  
"Okay, okay, you don't have to shout. Fine, I'll use my Pokédex." From his pocket Matt dug out his Pokédex. He then removed Vulpix from his Pokémon belt and scanned its identification. Several tidbits of information appeared. Date it was originally captured, its number, and its original trainer. Unfortunately, Lizzie's name was not there.  
  
"Sorry, the only information on this one is my information," Matt replied.  
  
"That's because when they stole her from me, they cleared the Pokéball's information and had her classified as 'wild'. Please, you have to believe me, I would never mooch a Pokémon from anybody!"  
  
"I wouldn't know this; I mean I don't even know you."  
  
"Come on!" Lizzie shouted.  
  
"Okay, fine. Since Team Rocket said that it was stolen in the first place, then it has to be yours. Problem is, I had an encounter with it and it's currently knocked out." Matt enlarged the Pokéball and opened it. An exhausted Vulpix rested on the field.  
  
"Val! It really is her!" Lizzie shouted, kneeling over to pick up her Pokémon. "Thank you, thank you SO much!"  
  
Yeah, yeah...where do you come from, anyway?" Matt asked.  
  
"Me? I live in Cerulean City. I came here to go back home, because I had just earned a Boulder Badge back in Pewter City. Then I ran into Team Rocket, and they stole my Vulpix!" Lizzie replied loudly. "Oh, I'm sorry, I just got really excited. But thank you for finding my Vulpix!"  
  
"A Boulder Badge? When?" Matt asked.  
  
"Just yesterday. Why?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"That's funny...when I fought with the gym leader he said that I was the first trainer to beat him in almost a few years," Matt replied.  
  
"He did? Geez, you know, he said the same thing to me, too! What, you don't believe me? Look!" Lizzie reached into her pocket and showed it to Matt with her palm open. Surely enough, that was the Boulder Badge.  
  
"Strange...anyway, I'm Matt. I travel from Pallet Town. I'm actually a new trainer."  
  
"There seem to be a lot of them lately. I'm relatively new actually; I'm part of the new generation where you can be ten in order to become a Pokémon trainer."  
  
"Yeah, that's me, too."  
  
"Mind if I join? I get very lonely, and the people in Cerulean often tease me, so I decided to become a Pokémon trainer," Lizzie said, with a half evil smirk on her face.  
  
"So you're doing it to impress everyone..." Matt muttered.  
  
"Gee, what gave it away?" Lizzie asked, winking.  
  
Matt blushed. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to travel with someone. I mean, this old guy back in Viridian City said it would be a good idea to find a traveling companion. Mostly because of Team Rocket."  
  
"Yeah, that's what everybody's been saying back at home, too! 'Don't go alone; Team Rocket will come and eat you!' That's what everybody's saying to the kids back at home. I guess if it scares them enough, it'll actually convince them."  
  
"Yeah, but if it's this dangerous, why aren't they traveling with somebody older?" Matt asks.  
  
Lizzie shrugged. "It beats me. You know, parents are so lazy these days, they want to find excuses for them not to raise their own children."  
  
"I hear that," Matt replied, chuckling "So, shall we get going? I'm going to Cerulean City, too. I want the Cascade Badge."  
  
"Sure, let's go!" Lizzie said, smiling.  
  
Both of them continue to travel the long, twisted path of Mount Moon. Fortunately for Matt, Lizzie had already been in the mountain a few times, so navigating wasn't very difficult. While traveling, a swarm of Zubats bothered them, but Matt and Lizzie managed to catch one each.  
  
"That makes seven...again!" Matt said.  
  
After ascending a large hill, Matt pointed ahead, and noticed a bright light from the top. It was the exit to Mount Moon. Excited, Matt quickly darted up the hill and ran right through the exit. Though the light outside was blinding at first, Matt was surrounded by the bright sun, followed by a cool breeze. Fresh air at last.  
  
Lizzie and Squirtle weren't too far behind; they too rushed to get outdoors. Lizzie pointed off in the distance towards the entrance to Cerulean City. Matt became excited.  
  
"All right. I'm ready to go for another badge," Matt said. He then looked towards Lizzie. "Since you already live here, do you already have a badge?"  
  
"Well...since I'm a friend of one of the gym leaders, they gave me one. I feel rather guilty about it," Lizzie said, frowning.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm sure you're good enough to have earned it if you had battled." Matt lowered his head. "But, something puzzles me...."  
  
"Well? Are you going to tell me what is? Well, obviously you are; why else would you bring it up?"  
  
Matt laughed. "You know too much. When I encountered Team Rocket today, they said they were digging for some kind of stone. Do you know what it is?"  
  
"Oh, that. Moon Stone. That's pretty much what makes Mount Moon so popular. They're always closing off certain sections of it just to look for it. It's actually a very valuable piece of material; some sell it for cash, but I only think it's popular because it causes some Pokémon to evolve."  
  
"Oh, it's one of those evolution stones then..." Matt replied  
  
"Well, except that this is very valuable. There was so much of it one time that you could literally take it away in handfuls. But now, it's so rare that people can barely see any of it anymore. I mean, there are dozens of excavations each year, but hardly any of it can be found. Most people get rich off it by auctioning it off to the highest bidder."  
  
"Well, I don't like the idea of these evolution stones. I really don't..." Matt commented.  
  
"Hmm?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Well, using evolution stones is a sign of laziness in my opinion. I mean, why choose a Pokémon if you're not going to spend time training it to get stronger naturally?"  
  
"Well, a lot of the older trainers get a little impatient and want to use evolution stones. I really don't like the idea much either. But you can't really judge a Pokémon trainer if they've used an evolution stone. I've read stories of trainers being forced to use evolution stones to save their lives."  
  
"That's true, but I guess we agree on something. That's important in a relationship," Matt muttered, not exactly realizing that he was thinking out loud.  
  
Lizzie shot Matt a look. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Huh?! Matt turned red. "Oh...I mean a friendship, not a--oh, never mind. Let's just go."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	7. Water Washout!

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 7: Water Washout!  
  
  
  
"So, where is the Cerulean Gym?" Matt asked, pulling out his map.  
  
"Oh, that map won't be neccesary; I just so happen to know where exactly the gym is!" Lizzie said, smiling. "Besides, it's on the other side. And what's the hurry anyway? We need to rest at a Pokémon Center, then I need to go shopping!"  
  
"Yeah, I need to pick up some Pokémon supplies as well. I have no Pokéballs left," Matt said grimly. "I'll worry about that later. I just need to pick the right Pokémon to use against the Water Pokémon that they have."  
  
"Hey, how did you know that they owned water Pokémon?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"It says so on the map!" Matt said, pointing. "Look, it's here: 'Cerulean City specializes in Water Pokémon'. There, see?"  
  
"Well, that shut me up," Lizzie said, taking a few steps back.  
  
Matt put his map away, chuckling. "Well, let's go to the Pokémon Center, then we'll go to the gym."  
  
"Sounds fine with me," Lizzie replied.  
  
Matt agreed to take the 'scenic route' around Cerulean City before actually entering the Pokémon Center. Matt regretted that he didn't bring a camera; there were certain sights which he wouldn't mind capturing on film. Lizzie was surprised to hear that even though Matt doesn't live that far, he had never visited Cerulean at all just to visit.   
  
After making a turn at a quiet intersection, Lizzie pointed to the Pokémon Center. "My house is actually over there, see?" Lizzie stated, pointing elsewhere. "It's kind of convenient, actually. In case I want to go home, I mean."  
  
"If you're so close to the Pokémon Center, why not just go home anyway?" Matt asked.  
  
"Are you inviting yourself into my home?!" Lizzie snapped.  
  
Matt blushed. "What? No, I was just wondering. I mean, it's just common sense. If you live so close to the Pokémon Center, what would the point be going there? You probably would give your Pokémon a better treatment back at home."  
  
"But I can't cook," Lizzie muttered.  
  
"That has nothing to do with it," Matt replied.  
  
"I guess. But anyway, let's go inside."  
  
Upon entering the Pokémon Center, Matt's face fell. He looked around at the messes left on the floor due to spilled drinks, and wrappers from chewing gum and possibly other items.  
  
"This place is a dump!" Matt commented. He then shuddered due to a disturbing odour. "It stinks in here, too; God, do they ever clean up in here?!"  
  
"Oh, there are tourists that come in here around noon. They make a big mess, and the custodian is expected to clean it all up. Isn't that terrible?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Does the custodian even do the work?" Matt commented while walking up to the front desk to ring the bell.  
  
"He's a slacker, just like everybody else in this city. Even though it has some really nice scenery, the public utility places such as this are always the ones left in shambles."  
  
"That's atrocious," Matt commented yet again.  
  
A very tired Nurse Joy from the back room approached the front desk. "Yes, can I help you?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"Yeah, I'd like my Pokémon healed," Matt said. He picked up his Squirtle and placed him on the desk. He then removed the other five minimized Pokéballs from his Pokémon belt and placed them in a tray.  
  
"Mine too, please," Lizzie said, handing Nurse Joy four Pokéballs.   
  
"Okay, I'll be back..." Nurse Joy said, looking around the Pokémon Center. "This is starting to frustrate me. I'm going to either hire a new custodial staff or put up a few signs not to leave such a mess."  
  
"It's a shame what they've done here, really; my friend Lizzie here showed me around Cerulean City and it's really very nice," Matt said.  
  
"That's...nice," Joy replied, then yawning. "Well, I have a lot of work to do. I'll be back in a few minutes."  
  
"Geez, you look really tired," Lizzie stated. "Tell ya what, how about we help clean up around here just a little bit. Perhaps it'll make you feel better?"  
  
"Lizzie..." Matt muttered harshly.  
  
"Oh, come on, what's the rush?" Lizzie asks.  
  
"The fact that we have to get to the Cerulean gym."  
  
"We could always go tomorrow."  
  
"I would rather go now, while there's still sunlight."  
  
"Matt, come on," Lizzie pleaded.  
  
"No, no, it's all right. It's not your responsibility and even though I really appreciate your offer, I certainly can't just make you clean up. Not without any form of pay, anyway," Joy replied before turning around and entering the back room.  
  
"Why did you do that for?" Lizzie asked sternly.  
  
"Come on, Lizzie. I'm a Pokémon trainer; I don't have time to be picking up garbage and mopping up floors left by some other irresponsible morons. Doesn't the gym close soon?  
  
Lizzie took a glance at her watch. "It's almost 7:30. The gym closes in an hour; but that's beside the point! I'm sure poor Nurse Joy is constantly in demand to heal these trainers' Pokémon!"  
  
"All right, all right, when we get back from the gym, we can do a little bit of work."  
  
"Fine, but once we get our Pokémon we'll have to dart out to the gym."  
  
"Dart out? I thought you said it closes in an hour."  
  
"Have you forgotten that the Cerulean gym is on the other side of the city? It might take over an hour to get there on foot! And none of the buses near us will go out that way. We'd have to go near the entrance of the city, and transfer once. The end result, we get there by nine."  
  
"How do you know all this?" Matt asked.  
  
"I happen to LIVE here!" Lizzie replied, laughing. "You don't spend fifteen years in the city you grew up in and know absolutely nothing about it!"  
  
Nurse Joy walked back to the front desk with a full tray in her hands.  
  
"Here you go kids." Nurse Joy said. "It didn't take very long at all, since there were no other Pokémon needing healing."  
  
"Wow, that was really quick," Matt said, putting his Pokéballs away. "I guess if we want to make it before the gym closes, we should leave now..." Matt put his Pokéballs back on his belt, and violently grabbed Squirtle.  
  
"Squirtle!" Squirtle yelled, striking Matt on the head.  
  
"Ouch! Knock it off, we need to leave now!" Matt said, as Lizzie grabbed her Pokéballs.  
  
"Okay, let's go! We'll be getting in running shape after we've reached the gym!" Lizzie said, putting her backpack on.  
  
"All right," Matt replied, thanking Nurse Joy while leaving the Pokémon Center.  
  
Matt and Lizzie ran down the street. Lizzie gave directions so that they knew where to go. They were sometimes darting through intersections at red lights sometimes and cutting off traffic; Matt didn't like this idea. They were endangering the lives of those around him, including their own.  
  
Nearly fourty-five minutes later, completely exhausted from the long marathon that they ran, they had arrived at the entrance to Cerulean City's Pokémon gym.  
  
"Gr...gr-gr-great!" Matt said, gasping for air. "We...made it..."  
  
"Come on!" Lizzie exclaimed. "It wasn't THAT bad!"  
  
"Not that BAD?!" Matt snapped. "Are you crazy?! What kind of normal human being has the capabilities of running such a long distance?!"  
  
"Well, whatever, let's just get into the gym so that you can fight. It's starting to get cold out here." Lizzie said, beginning to shiver.  
  
As soon as they were able to catch their breath, Matt and Lizzie entered through the front doors of the Pokémon gym. Inside were marble walls, paired with colourfully decorated aquariums with water Pokémon swimming about. Matt noticed carpeted floors, next to several couches and chairs, all which looked very comfortable to him at the moment.  
  
Matt and Lizzie continued to walk past the lobby, and down a long hall. The only noise made in the area were the sounds of Matt's and Lizzie's feet touching the carpet. Squirtle's footfalls were very light sounding, but not impossible to hear.  
  
"Ugh, do these gyms always have to look and sound so ominous? Pewter's gym was exactly the same!" Matt commented, wiping sweat away from his forehead.  
  
"Yes, but Pewter's gym looks like a cavern; this looks a lot more nicer," Lizzie said.  
  
Matt followed Lizzie, still gasping for breath once in a while. "Yeah, I agree, it's not dark in here!"  
  
"The gym floor is that way," Lizzie pointed.   
  
Matt and Lizzie entered the fighting arena, which looked exactly like a battle arena should, in Matt's opinion. At the top were several seats, all the way around, surrounding the battlefield which was found down a several sets of stairs. It was like a stadium. The battlefield itself contained three floatation devices on a swimming pool filled with water.  
  
"Don't tell me that's the battle arena..." Matt muttered. "How in the hell am I supposed to fight on THAT?"  
  
"Oh, we have a challenger?" a voice asked.  
  
"I don't know, let's, like, go and take a look!" another voice said.  
  
"Hey, wait for me! Like, what's going on?"  
  
"Great, valley girls..." Matt groaned.  
  
Lizzie lightly slapped Matt over the head. "Hey, watch your mouth! These leaders are my friends!"  
  
"Okay, I'm sorry...did you say 'leaders'?" Matt asked.  
  
"Well, between the three of them, they all share the same Pokémon," Lizzie said.  
  
"Wow, this is like, our first challenger in months!" one of the girls smiled.  
  
"Okay, like let's get it over with," one of the girls says and hops onto the leader platform on the swimming pool. "Yours is over there."  
  
"Oh, I get it...I think." Matt walked down the set of stairs and approached his platform. He then jumped on top of it. He looked around. "I don't like this."  
  
"Hi, my name is Daisy. We shall use two against two Pokémon each. If we each win one battle, we'll go into suddendeath. You all right with that?"  
  
"Yeah," Matt replied.  
  
"Good. Goldeen, go!" Daisy shouted, tossing an enlarged Pokéball into the battlefield. The large, goldfish-like Pokémon appeared, diving into the pool.  
  
"Come out, Zubat!" Matt shouted, opening an enlarged Pokéball. Zubat's form quickly took shape after the ball was opened.  
  
Matt was quick to begin the battle. "Zubat, Supersonic waves!"  
  
Zubat, currently with no battle experience, used its own natural radar to detect the location of its opponent. After spotting it, the bat-like Pokémon flapped its wings at a rapid pace, while firing several mind-altering waves directly from its mouth. Goldeen was struck point blank, as now it was confounded.  
  
"Oh no! Goldeen! Wash it off underwater!" Daisy commanded.  
  
Goldeen, somewhat acknowledging the command given from its trainer dove underwater. However, seconds later, it strangely swam head-first at a rapid pace directly into the walls of the pool. Goldeen slowly surfaced, for it had just knocked itself out.  
  
"Goldeen, return!" Daisy said, absorbing Goldeen back into her Pokéball. She then picks up another Pokéball and throws it into the battlefield. "Staryu, go!"  
  
Taking form, a starfish-like Pokémon with a shining jewel in the center of all of its legs appeared in the battlefield.  
  
"Return, Zubat!" Matt commanded, absorbing Zubat inside of its Pokéball. He then grabed another Pokéball. "Pidgey, go!"  
  
Matt's trusted Pidgey took form after springing out of its Pokéball.  
  
"Tackle, Staryu!" Daisy commands.  
  
Staryu from its position underwater leaped out as its presence caught Pidgey by surprise. Its spinning legs struck Pidgey directly across the mouth, as Staryu returned underwater. Pidgey tried to regain its balance in the air.  
  
"Pidgey, Gust attack!" Matt commands.   
  
Pidgey spoted Staryu preparing to surface as it began to flap its wings at a rapid pace, the force of the winds causing Staryu to collide heavily with the pool's wall.  
  
"Staryu, wash it off underwater!" Daisy commands.  
  
Staryu, quick to recover from its previous attack jumped into the water, then surfaces.  
  
"Water Gun, now!"  
  
Staryu instantly launched forth a cannon of water, striking Pidgey as it attempted to dodge the attack. However, the attempt was in vain. The attack damaged Pidgey's wing as its attempts to remain in the air were in vain.  
  
"Damn it. Pidgey, return!" Matt yelled, absorbing Pidgey back into the Pokéball. Daisy in response also called back her Pokémon.  
  
"Okay, I have one last chance. Squirtle, go!" Matt said.  
  
Squirtle, who had been beside Matt, jumped off the trainer platform and landed in the middle platform of the battlefield.  
  
"In that case, I choose Seel!" Daisy threw a Pokéball as it landed on the middle platform. It sprang open, as a Pokémon very similar to the form of a seal took shape.  
  
"Seel, Headbutt, now!"  
  
"Squirtle, Water Gun!"  
  
Seel, acknowledging the command given by its trainer began to charge at Squirtle. However, Squirtle quickly inhaled and exhaled a blast of water, which struck the Seel, causing it to call back the attack. Squirtle then leaped off of the tile and clutches Seel between its two claws, slamming it underwater. Seel in response swated at Squirtle underwater with its tail. Squirtle, taking the blow head on rose to the surface and jumped back onto the middle platform.  
  
"Don't give up, Squirtle, Bite Attack!" Matt commands.  
  
Just as Seel resurfaced, Squirtle once again grabed onto Seel with its claws. He began sinking his teeth onto the back of Seel as it desperately tried to shake Squirtle off. Squirtle sank his teeth in deeper, as Seel cried out even more in intense pain. After several more cries of pain from Seel, Daisy decided to call it back.  
  
"Like, congratulations! You are, like, a very skilled trainer!"  
  
Matt smiled, calling back Squirtle beside him.  
  
"Like, catch," Daisy said, tossing to Matt a small water-droplet type badge. It was the Cascade Badge. "This is the official badge of the Cerulian Gym. This is proof that you have beaten me, Daisy, the sensational sister at the Cerulian Gym!"  
  
"Nice..."  
  
Back near the front door to the gym, Lizzie greeted Matt with a smile. "Hey! That was really good! Are you sure you've just started Pokémon training?"  
  
"What, did I look professional or something?" Matt said, smiling.  
  
"Kind of." Lizzie glanced at her watch. "Should we get back?  
  
Matt didn't respond. Instead, he walked over to a nearby couch and allowed himself to collapse directly on top of it. "In about twenty minutes, okay? That run mixed with an intense Pokémon battle I just had pretty much took me completely out, and I need to rest..." Matt said, and wiped more sweat from his forehead.  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	8. Loss Number One

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 8: Loss Number One  
  
  
  
After a successful encounter at the Cerulian gym, which also happened to be the home of Matt's new traveling companion (as he continued to call her at the time) Lizzie, Matt decided that after picking up some more Pokéballs and specific medicines that the next gym at Vermillion City would be their next destination.  
  
Walking down the dirt path of Route 5, Matt looked carefully at his map, wondering the correct routes to take getting to the next gym. After folding away the map and discussing it with Lizzie, they were now well on their way.  
  
Slightly off of Route 5, Matt looked to his right and noticed a large sign which said, 'A.J.'s Gym! W 82, L 00'. There was a line-up to the entrance, as the large numbers beside the big 'W' continued to increase at a rapid pace..  
  
"That's stupid. He's placing how many times he's won. I thought all gym leaders had at least some kind of modesty," Matt commented.  
  
"But...there aren't any official Pokémon Gyms out here!" Lizzie said, looking at a brochure she collected in the lounge of the Cerulean gym. "Yeah, this must be a trainer gym, to pull in other trainers to train their Pokémon!"  
  
"That makes sense. Well, I guess that I'll check it out once the line thins out a little bit," Matt replied, stretching his arms in the process.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, a trainer with short-cut black hair along with a sportive red jacket walked out of the gym, looking frustrated. "This is embarrassing. I lost to some new trainer...." Nearby was a small rock, as the man kicked it. It struk Matt across the cheek.  
  
"Ow!" Matt rubbed his cheek. "Jack-ass...."  
  
"Hey! Watch what you're doing!" Lizzie sneered, holding up a fist.  
  
The man caught the attention of the two trainers. One who was checking his face to see if there was blood, the other holding up her fist in a threatening manner.  
  
"I...I'm sorry. It's just that the leader at that gym over there is just so highly skilled. I mean, I have a roster of some rather skilled Pokémon -- well, that's what I like to think anyway. And just suddenly, bam, bam, POW! All of them drop like flies...to the very same Pokémon!"  
  
"Which ones did you use?" Matt asked.  
  
"Let's see...Charizard, Paras, Voltorb, Vulpix, Nidoking and Poliwag," the trainer replied. "The fact that he knocked all of them out with one hit or two just puzzles me to no end."  
  
The trainer clenched a fist. He then let out a heavy sigh and smiled. "Oh, my name is Jordan. I come from Mason Town. Well, I probably didn't have to introduce myself; I'm sure you've heard of me before," the trainer confidently said.  
  
"Never heard of you," Matt replied.  
  
"Sorry, me neither," Lizzie added.  
  
"Well...isn't that just great? I've embarrassed myself," Jordan laughed nervously, while at the same time blushing.  
  
Matt politely laughed, before turning his head to Lizzie. Lizzie also turned her head to the side, not knowing what to say or do. "Anyway. My name is Matt; I'm from Pallet."  
  
"And I'm Lizzie. I live in Cerulean City! We're both new trainers...."  
  
"New trainers, huh? Yeah, a lot of 'em have been popping up lately ever since that new rule came in place. You both have quite a journey ahead of you! It must be fun traveling together; I don't even remember the last time that I went out on a journey like this..." Jordan crossed his arms and sunk himself into deep thought.  
  
"We actually met by chance, in Mount Moon," Matt said.   
  
Matt once again turned his attention to the entrance of the Trainer Gym, watching several trainers walking out in disappointment. Some running away quickly with their Pokémon in hand down the uphill direction of Route 5, which lead into Cerulian City. He again looked at the sign and saw the numbers changing to 'W 95, L 00.'  
  
"Well, at least I know this guy's tough. I think I'll give it a try; I could have a good chance."  
  
"Kid, I wouldn't be too certain about that, I mean he has a very strong Sandshrew," Jordan said. "Trust me on this one, Matt, I've been a trainer for a long time, and that Sandshrew is one cut above the rest...."  
  
"A Sandshrew? That's it?! I have three Pokémon who could mop the floor with that! I'll go for it," Matt stated, beginning to march past the fence which held up the large scoresheet, prepared to face the leader of the gym on the other side. Squirtle marched right behind him.  
  
Jordan, dumbfounded, turned his head towards Lizzie. "Is he stupid?" he asked. "I mean, he just watched trainers walking in and out of that gym with their tails between their legs! Does he really think he has a chance?"  
  
Lizzie shrugged. "I've watched him battle, and I have to say that he looks to be in pretty good shape. I really like his Squirtle," Lizzie said. "I think he'll be fine."  
  
Jordon released a perplexed sigh before looking at Lizzie again. "You really don't have a clue who I am at all, do you?!"  
  
In the battlefield at A.J.'s gym, Matt climbed up a small set of stairs to the challenger's platform. He checked his surroundings, as he did for every battlefield. He noticed that he was the only challenger left at the moment. He then looked towards the entrance, watching a very doubtful Lizzie and Jordan walking through.  
  
"Geez, another victim," A.J. muttered. "Okay, pal, this isn't your ordinary trainer battle, you know that, right?"  
  
"Well, of course I do. This is a gym," Matt said.  
  
"Yes, it is a gym, but I'll have to ask you before I go humiliating you; are you absolutely certain you want to go through with this?" A.J. asked, with some sincerity in his tone of voice, however sounding somewhat sarcastic.  
  
"Buddy, I didn't come here to be mocked, I came here for a battle. What should we wager?" Matt asked.  
  
"Why don't you decide; you're the one who's going to get creamed. I'll be the richest trainer by the end of the day," A.J. said.  
  
"Fifty," Matt offered.  
  
"Fifty?! What the hell do you think this is, some sort of sissy battle that goes on between ten-year-olds?!"  
  
Matt crossed his arms. "Regardless whether you like it or not, fifty is my offer," he stated. "If you wish to battle me, take the offer. If you don't like the wager, then the battle's off. I personally don't care if I get to challenge you or not."  
  
"He's asking for it," Jordan muttered.  
  
"Shush," Lizzie replied.  
  
"Fine then, fifty. I've got more important things to do today anyway," A.J. muttered, rubbing off sweat from his forehead. Pointing into the battlefield, he shouts, "Sandshrew, go!"  
  
From behind him, a small yellow Pokémon with big, black eyes, sharp claws and scales surrounding its body crawled up from behind A.J. and crawled into the battlefield.  
  
"The speed of that Sandshrew looks a little sluggish," Matt commented while throwing an enlarged Pokéball containing Spearow inside out into the battlefield.  
  
Spearow's form took shape after the ball sprang open, squawking and looking for its opponent.  
  
"Ha! If you think speed will be a disadvantage for me in this match, you are dead wrong! Use Fury Swipes!" A.J. commanded.  
  
"Fury Swipes?!" Matt exclaimed. "Damn, that thing IS strong!"  
  
"Haven't you learned by watching the scoresheet outside of the gym?!" A.J. exclaimed. "Watching trainers coming in and out, in and out; Sandshrew dealed with them: every single one of them! So don't think this is going to be an easy match!"  
  
Spearow, remaining in its position in the air, watched slowly at the Sandshrew below. Quickly, its eyes met the ground Pokémon's, as quickly, Sandshrew repelled itself off of the solid battleground. Matt, amazed at the speed quickly shot its head up towards Spearow, watching the Sandshrew's claws swinging across his Spearow at a rapid pace. In only a few matters, Sandshrew was back on the ground, with Spearow falling, unconscious.  
  
"Only one hit, just like I said..." Jordan commented.  
  
"Wow, that was incredible," Lizzie commented, her eyes bloodshot. "However, I still think he could take it out with Squirtle. His Water Gun is pretty good."  
  
"Come back Spearow!" Matt said, absorbing the Spearow back inside of its Pokéball. From his Pokémon belt, Matt enlarged another Pokéball and hurled it into the battlefield. "Sand Attack, Pidgey!"  
  
Upon taking form after being released from its Pokéball, Pidgey took sight of its opponent and consistently and rapidly flapped its wings, causing sand to cloud the area.  
  
"Sandshrew, Scratch Attack!" A.J. yelled.  
  
Through the thick cloud of smoke, Matt watched as Pidgey's wing was grazed with Sandshrew's left claw. Pidgey's balance was slightly hindered, however regained, as it flew above the large, yet dissipating, cloud of smoke it had created only moments ago.  
  
"Wing Attack, Pidgey!" Matt yelled, coughing from the cloud of sand.  
  
From its position in the sky, Pidgey locked into its target and swooped down immediately, striking Sandshrew from point blank on the back with its attack. Sandshrew quickly pulled itself onto its feet and countered by taking a large swipe at Pidgey. The force of the attack knocked Pidgey out of the battle, and was violently sent crashing and rolling onto nearby grass.  
  
Matt's face grew grim. He pointed a Pokéball towards the unconscious Pidgey. "Pidgey return!" A red light emitting from the center of the Pokéball absorbed Pidgey back inside. Matt minimized the Pokéball and placed it back onto his Pokémon belt. "I give up. You win."  
  
"Is that all you have? Two Pokémon? Ha!" A.J. shouted, with a large grin on his face.  
  
"Hey, watch your mouth. I'm not about to sacrifice the health of my Pokémon for something so trivial," Matt snapped, then turning his head towards Jordan.  
  
"Hey, don't look at me!" Jordan shouted.  
  
"Trivial?! You'd better watch YOUR mouth, boy! Did you not watch what my Sandshrew had just accomplished?!" A.J.'s smirk suddenly became an angry frown and clenched a fist. "He just single-handedly took down both of your Pokémon in only a matter of seconds!"  
  
"Good for you, you actually have some boasting rights," Matt said, throwing some coins and bills onto the field. "There, take your money. You could put it into some other strategy instead of using the same Pokémon to do all the work. I'm surprised it hasn't passed out from fatigue yet."  
  
"WHAT?!" A.J. asked, with widened, angry eyes staring deeply into Matt's. "Don't spout some ridiculous B.S. just because you lost! Sandshrew and I have worked extremely hard since the first day we've been together! I don't go about questioning YOUR strategy of throwing out two pathetic birds out on the field to challenge, so don't question mine!"  
  
"I don't know why you're getting so upset," Matt said. "Perhaps you'll realize it one day. But you're right; it's your strategy, it's your Pokémon, and it's your future. I don't want to be around the day your Sandshrew pulls itself to its feet and says, 'no more'."  
  
A.J. just stood still, his face turning completely red.  
  
"Come on, Matt. You fought the battle, you've paid your fee, let's go." Lizzie turns around and began to walk away, with Jordan following.  
  
"Let's go, Squirtle," Matt said. Matt began to walk past the entrance gates, with Squirtle walking right up behind him at the same pace.  
  
A.J. continued to stand in his position, looking both back at Sandshrew, then back towards the entrance, his face still completely red.  
  
"If you ever show up at the Indigo League within the next few months, you'll wish you'd never been born!" A.J. shouted at the top of his lungs.  
  
After exiting through the entrance gates at the gym, Matt looked back up towards the scoresheet. The number had once again increased.  
  
"It's bound to happen," Matt said. "While he does have a good Sandshrew - and I'm crediting him for that, I really am - it's still not going to work out in the long run, right? I mean, the trainers he's faced today will probably be the only ones he'll face all day. What about in the Pokémon League, where he'll be fighting other trainers, stronger trainers?"  
  
"Let him worry about that, Matt," Lizzie replied harshly. "You went a little too far about his strategy. While it isn't a very good one, let him worry about it. If what you said happens, then it'll be his fault. You should be worrying about how you'll be doing, not how he'll be doing."  
  
"Yeah, you're right," Matt said. "I still hate that damn scoresheet."  
  
"Well, at any rate, you didn't listen to me at all," Jordan replied. "I told you the Pokémon I had, I told you I was an experienced trainer, and I even told you it only took one hit or two to take down my Pokémon."  
  
"So what? Who are you, anyway?" Matt asked. "So you're an experienced trainer; I'm a new trainer. What does that have to do with anything?"  
  
"You really don't have a clue who I am, do you? Neither of you."  
  
"Right..." Matt replied, then turned his attention towards Lizzie. "It's still a lousy way to lose my first match, but I guess it was bound to happen eventually."  
  
Matt looked at his watch, then looked down the length of Route 5.  
  
"The detour towards Route 6 should show up some time today," Matt stated, looking at his watch. "Then when we reach Route 6, we'll walk straight down it, and that'll lead towards Vermillion City. In other words, my next badge."  
  
"All righty then, let's go!" Jordan said.  
  
Matt looked back at Jordan.  
  
"You're coming with us?"  
  
"What, you don't want me to?"  
  
"It's not that, it's just I was rather surprised. It's actually a good idea, because some old guy back at Viridian City told me to find a traveling companion. I guess two wouldn't hurt," Matt said.  
  
"Yeah, then you could explain to us why we should know who you are!" Lizzie added.  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	9. Lost!

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 9: Lost!  
  
  
  
After Matt's first disappointing and somewhat humiliating loss, he along with his new found friend Lizzie along with even another traveling companion Jordan continued to walk down the long, dirt path of Route 5. For at the end of this route, it will give signs and directions for a detour which will lead to Route 6, and from there, the entrance to Vermillion City.  
  
In only his third day of training, Matt had already managed to bolster his roster of up to seven Pokémon, along with two badges obtained from the Pokémon gyms in both Pewter City and Cerulian City. Filled with confidence about his abilities, Matt confidently walked on, as his journey continued.  
  
The time was about noon, and the sun was high into the clear, blue sky. Clouds which had come in from earlier that morning could no longer be noticed, as they cleared out over the next hour or so. Matt, finding the sun rather hot, decided to stop by a nearby lake and wash his face. Jordan waited patiently, sitting in the shade of a large tree, while Lizzie with her arms crossed grew continuously tired of waiting.  
  
Lizzie moaned loudly. "Matt, come on, you've been sitting there washing your face for at least five minutes! You can take a little bit of sunlight, can't you?!"  
  
"Relax, relax," Jordan replied; "we'll get there in good time if we stop to take breaks once in a while."  
  
Little to Matt's knowing, his Squirtle was also taking a break, swimming laps in the very same lake from which Matt was washing his face. Suddenly, from the surface springs Squirtle's face, which surprised Matt. He blew with full force water all over Matt. In reaction and disgust he stood up, staring at himself, completely soaked.  
  
"Squirtle!" he shouted, frustrated. "Geez, I only wanted to wash my face, but now you've gotten me all wet!"  
  
"Good, you're refreshed, can we go now?!" Lizzie impatiently shouted.  
  
"Geez, I didn't want to have it done THAT much," Matt stated, searching through his backpack for a dry shirt. He found one among his sleeping bag - for emergencies of course - and removed his wet shirt. He let it fall on the ground which made a sloppy sounding thump. He then put on the dry one and rang out the wet one before putting it back into his backpack where it wouldn't interfere with any of his other belongings.  
  
Squirtle, continuously in a jesting mood, suddenly leaped off the ground, and landed directly on top of Matt's head. Matt, surprised by the sudden increase in weight, collapsed onto his knees.  
  
"Sheesh! Squirtle's only a small turtle! He can't be THAT heavy!" Jordan commented.  
  
"Okay then," Matt began, "how about we put your Charizard on YOUR head?" He rather violently picked up Squirtle and stared deep into his eyes. "I don't know what kind of mood you're in, but you already went too far by the lake over there. Now if you wish to stay out of your Pokéball, you'll stop, understand?"  
  
Jordan, meanwhile, was deep in thought about Matt's remark about having his Charizard on his head. He laughed at the comical idea of being squashed.   
  
"What's so funny?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Nothing...inside joke," Jordan replied.  
  
"Yeah..." Lizzie muttered. She then enlarged a Pokéball which she moments ago took from her Pokémon belt. "Hmm, Val needs some exercise. I'd better let her out."  
  
"Val?" Jordan asked, looking confused.  
  
"She's my Vulpix, and I don't care WHAT anybody says; I think she is the loveliest, most talented Vulpix out there in this entire world!" She then opened up her Pokéball as Vulpix's form took shape.  
  
"It didn't seem all that great when I found it..." Matt commented.  
  
Upon reaching the end of Route 5, there was a sign which was pointing into a nearby forest. Matt pulled out his map to double-check to make sure which ways to turn.  
  
"Yeah, this is the detour all right. We should get some good Pokémon in here!" Matt said. Lizzie nodded in agreement.  
  
Jordan chuckled. Lizzie and Matt looked at him both raising an eyebrow. "You wonder why I laugh? Because I've already captured over forty different kinds of Pokémon. And a good portion of them were from here."  
  
Matt blinked, then turned his head towards Lizzie who soon turned her head looking straight at Matt. Neither of them had the heart to respond to that comment, but eventually Matt did say something.   
  
"That's...nice, Jordan," Matt replied, "but...I don't know exactly what was so humourous about it."  
  
"Oh, don't mind me, it just brought back plenty of memories and such."  
  
"Geez you're weird. And you wonder why nobody recognizes you," Lizzie bluntly stated. Jordan slightly blushed in response, while Lizzie felt somewhat remorseful about her last remark. She decided to attempt to soften the blow. "Did...did you catch more than one of the same type?"  
  
"If you mean more than one of the same Pokémon, then no," Jordan replied, suddenly with his spirits risen again. "If you mean Pokémon types, then absolutely! I like to catch them all at their first stage, so that when they evolve, it will increase the amount of Pokémon I have by one, still counting its previous stage!"  
  
"So, is that how the Pokédex works?" Matt asked.  
  
"I believe so. I was one of the people who helped create the Pokédex," Jordan said. "It was designed to hold information of every single type of Pokémon seen. But there are some that we have very little information about. We believe that there are a good portion of them which became extinct about a thousand years ago."   
  
"Just like other things over time," Matt replied. "Come on, there are several Pokémon with our names on it. I get dibs on the first one!" Matt ran into the forest.  
  
"Not if I see it first!" Lizzie said, following Matt. Jordan quickly gave chase to both of them.  
  
Even with the clear sky, and the sun shining brightly, the forest seemed dark. Matt, although this was his first time entering the forest, blasted through several trees. After darting though some tall grass, he found himself stuck between a small river, which seemed to run through the entire forest with no way around it. Lizzie and Jordon soon caught up.  
  
"How the heck are we going to cross this thing?"   
  
"Maybe we can go around?" Lizzie suggested, looking around.  
  
"I tried; I think it goes on for miles, if not longer."  
  
Jordan pulled out a Pokéball and enlarged it. "I have an idea. Charizard, come out!" he shouted, opening the Pokéball. Beside him, a large, red dragon-type Pokémon took form on the small dirt patch beside Jordan. Its wings were closed and hiding behind its back, however its tail was swishing left and right. At the very tip was a flame, very similar to the tail of a Charmander, Matt noticed.  
  
"Charizard, I don't ask for many favours outside of battle..." Jordan began, with both Matt and Lizzie finding the beginning of his request rather bizarre; "...however we need you to give us a lift across this river. Could you do it for us?"  
  
Charizard, with big, blaring black eyes stared deep into the eyes of Jordan. Matt was unaware of what its response was going to be. Its appearance began to intimidate him a little bit.  
  
Closing its eyes, it lifted its right claw to its mouth...and released a yawn. It then allowed itself to collapse to the ground, creating a slight tremor in the ground. Jordan's eyes widened in surprise, while Matt and Lizzie blinked, not knowing what to say.  
  
"And just what the hell is THIS?!" Matt exclaimed. "This thing isn't going to do us any good if it's going to lie around sleeping!"  
  
"This is very peculiar, and quite maddening," Jordan replied quite sternly, obviously frustrated with the lack of respect chosen by his Pokémon. "Charizard, get up! None of us have any time for these games!"  
  
In frustration, Jordan began gently tapping his Charizard with his foot. He continuously increased the strength and speed of his kicks everytime, in a vain attempt to get Charizard to rise on its feet. In the Charizard's frustration however, it launched forth heavy flames towards Jordan. Quickly he backed off, and struck heavily at his jacket the small flames which engulfed on it.  
  
"Are you kidding me?!" Lizzie said. "I thought you were an experienced trainer."  
  
"Don't question my experience," Jordan angrily replied, absorbing Charizard back inside of its Pokéball. He stared straight at it and began to clench it tightly, as if he was trying to break it. He then minimized it and returned it to his Pokémon belt. "This is the very first time that Charizard has decided to speak against my will. Surely something must have happened to have angered it. It also looks like we'll have to find another way to cross the river."  
  
Without any other option, Matt and Lizzie were in unanimous agreement. In order to cross to the other side, another path must be reached. They continued to walk down along the edge of the river, hopefully looking for either an end to it, or a smaller gap from which one can jump from one side to another with success.  
  
Within a few minutes, the latter option became reality. Squirtle was the first to cross, swimming to the other side. Matt decided afterwards that he would be the first to jump across. He took a few steps back and built up energy to leap across. He landed on the other side, however his right foot landed in a small puddle of mud, and from this he slipped, and landed forward violently on the ground below.  
  
"Are you okay?" Lizzie asked, gasping. Matt picked himself up and checked his nose to see if it was bleeding from the impact. Fortunately, it was not. He then beckoned for Squirtle to wait with him while the others jumped across.  
  
"Okay, here I go!" Lizzie herself took back a few steps back, then she jumped over. As she landed, her left foot slipped on the same puddle of mud that Matt did. Matt reached out and grabbed Lizzie just before she fell. She thanked him.  
  
A few moments later, Jordan made his way across the lake, and landed without slipping. "You see here, the trick is to land with both of your feet completely flat towards the ground. That way you won't slip."  
  
Lizzie, Matt and Squirtle all stared at Jordan. Matt was beginning to become quite annoyed with Jordan's comments; he found that he always had to either have the last word, or prove to everyone that he is always right. If he is supposed to be well-known, Matt thought, then perhaps he shouldn't think so highly of himself.  
  
"Let's just get going..." Matt said.  
  
From checking the map again, they soon found their way which will lead to Route 6. However, nearby, there was some yelling heard.  
  
"OUCH! Cloë, you have once again stepped on my foot!" a man yelled.  
  
"Did I again? Oh, I am so very sorry," Cloë replied.  
  
"That just so happens to be the third time! Do you not realize that you are getting mud all over my precious boots? Boots which required plenty of planning and 'trail and error' for me to steal?!" Zach complained.  
  
"I really am sorry, Zach. So very sorry. Tell you what: why don't you go and search for some twigs and leaves with which we can use to cover up this hole?"   
  
"What? First you soil my boots, and now you want me to search for dirty and disgusting dead twigs and leaves?! You owe me much more than a dinner, my dear!" Zach shouted while climbing out of the nearby hole. What he had yet to notice was that Matt, Lizzie and Jordan were standing nearby.  
  
"Is there some sort of...construction going on here?" Jordan asked.  
  
"Team Rocket again?! How the hell do you keep finding me?!" Matt shouted.  
  
"Wait a second, you're telling me that Team Rocket actually exists? I thought that it was just some ridiculous rumour started by some workers at Silph Co.!" Jordan said, looking confused.  
  
"Well, I first met them in the Viridian Forest, and I saw them in Mount Moon," Matt said. "Personally, I was told they're dangerous, but I'm already getting rather tired of them."  
  
"Who's there?" Zach turned around, spotting Matt. "Cloë! The rat has arrived, and this time he brings other victims!"  
  
"What? Surely it can't be the one you're talking about; it's far too early for him to be here! Our trap is far from completion!" Cloë said, exiting the hole.  
  
"Unfortunately we currently do not have the luxury of relying on our spectacular trap: a Team Rocket tradition," Zach said, then grew an evil smirk on his face. "Regardless, he does have some companions with him, and that means more Pokémon to steal."  
  
"I thought I recognized you!" Lizzie shouted. "You're the thugs who stole my Vulpix!"  
  
"And for crying out loud, will you give it up already? Why don't you get a life and get a real job or something; or what, haven't I humiliated you enough already?" Matt asked.  
  
"How dare you speak to us like that, you littie riffraff," Zach sternly replied. "I will have you know that it took us hours and weeks of cruel training in order to become honourary members of the exclusive, yet well respected organization of Team Rocket."  
  
"Well respected, my ass!" Lizzie replied, looking at her Vulpix down at her feet. "You're only a bunch of thieves and cowards; and I'm going to get revenge! Val, go!"  
  
"Poliwag, go!" Jordan threw an enlarged Pokéball as a short, spherical Pokémon appears. With a feather-like tail, and bulging, black eyes paired with a mezmerizing stomach which contains a continuous, swirling pattern.  
  
"Squirtle! Go!" Matt yelled.  
  
The two water Pokémon paired with the fox-like fire Pokémon stood side-by-side on the battlefield.  
  
"How ironic; you were the one complaining to us about using two Pokémon at once, yet here you are shamelessly using three!" Cloë grabbed two enlarged Pokéballs and tossed them. "For that, we shall reward you with some of our strongest Pokémon to date! Machop, Ivysaur. Go!"   
  
Zach also grabbed an enlarged Pokéball and tossed it. "Because of your continuous cruelty, you shall have to be punished with Rhyhorn!"  
  
Machop, the same Pokémon used in Viridian Forest made its second appearance for Matt. However, he had yet to see the Ivysaur and the Rhyhorn. Ivysaur, to Matt's knowledge, was an evolved form of Bulbasaur. Except this time, the bulb on its back began to grow a flower, and the size of the Pokémon was much larger. Rhyhorn was a large Pokémon, like a rhinocerous when being compared to other animals, with a large horn on its head. Matt figured its body was hard as stone.  
  
"Squirtle, stop Rhyhorn with your Water Gun!"  
  
From its position, Squirtle took in a deep breath, and exhaled with a stream of water. Rhyhorn was struck directly, as it cried out in pain; for it deepy disliked water.  
  
"Machop, use Seismic Toss on that Vulpix! Ivysaur, use Vine Whip on that Poliwag!" Cloë commanded.  
  
"Val, Flame Thrower on Machop!" Lizzie replied.  
  
Vulpix, much like Squirtle, took in some air. Except when it exhaled, a streaming line of fire was released, which burned Machop greatly, forcing it to stop its attack. Meanwhile, from the root of its bulb, four vines from Ivysaur rose into the air, and struck violently the small Poliwag, injuring it greatly. Jordon reacted quickly and opened up a small potion, and poured it all over the small Pokémon's body. Its wounds were slightly healed.  
  
The battle continued on for several minutes, all Pokémon battling following their trainers' every command. In the end, Jordan commanded his Poliwag to release Hypnosis waves, which rendered all of the Pokémon used by Team Rocket asleep. In one final attack, Squirtle, Vulpix, and Poliwag strike the Pokémon with their most effective attacks, knocking them all out.  
  
"Damn! I never thought it possible to lose by being both rinsed and fried!" Cloë muttered in disgust while absorbing both her Machop and Ivysaur back inside their Pokéballs. Zach called back his Rhyhorn.  
  
"This result begins to grow old!" Zach pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it on the ground, with an irritating smoke filling the air.  
  
"If it grows old, then get lost, and don't come back!" Matt shouted between coughs.  
  
The smoke lasted for only for a few more seconds, as it cleared rather quickly (according to Matt, anyway). Without a surprise, Team Rocket was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"You mean they're gone, just like that?" Jordan asked, continuing to look around, making sure there wasn't some kind of trap involved.  
  
"We did it!" Lizzie said, hugging her Vulpix. "Way to go, Val!"  
  
Matt rubbed Squirtle's head. "That was some excellent battling there, good job! Your persistence is what really drew me to selecting you in the first place. And each time, I feel better just watching you out there. Do you know that?"  
  
Jordan also smiled, and walked up to his Poliwag. "You also did a good job. You never cease to please me," he stated, kneeling down beside him. The Poliwag smiled in response.  
  
Suddenly, a blinding light began to surround Poliwag, consuming its entire shape. Slowly, its form began to grow, though due to the blinding light, it was difficult to see. Matt and Lizzie was unsure of what was occuring. Jordan watched in awe as he watched his Poliwag growing arms and losing its tail. As the light faded, Matt and Lizzie both looked to see what happened.  
  
"It...it evolved! Poliwag became Poliwhirl!" Jordan said, his eyes widened.  
  
"Wow...so that's what a Pokémon evolution looks like. Hey, congratulations!" Matt replied.  
  
"Thank you..." He then took out his Pokéball and absorbed Polywhirl inside, as its reward. Lizzie also called Vulpix back into her Pokéball.  
  
"That's some really great news on top of other great news. We ward off Team Rocket together, and your Pokémon evolved. Now come on! Vermillion's not going to sit and wait for us, now is it?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Well, technically since it's a city, we should hope that it doesn't move at all," Jordan replied, laughing.  
  
Lizzie groaned and struck Jordan in the arm. "You know that's not what I meant...."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	10. A Well Deserved Rest

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 10: A Well Deserved Rest  
  
  
  
Upon exiting the forest which is the detour towards Route 6, which also lead to Vermillion City, Matt, Lizzie, Jordon, along with Squirtle rest in an open field. Matt was alert, hoping for some Pokémon to appear, while Jordan was silent, staring at a Pokéball.  
  
"What's up Jordan?" Matt asked.  
  
"My Charizard..." Jordan muttered, playing back over and over in his mind about his Charizard collapsing, deciding to take a nap. "He did everything I told him, but then he just suddenly decides to ignore me."  
  
"I never evolve my Pokémon," Lizzie commented. "Unless they feel they're ready for evolution, I won't let them."  
  
Matt and Jordan turned their attention towards Lizzie. "Yeah...?" Matt asked, beckoning for her to continue.  
  
"Well..." Lizzie continued, "if a Pokémon grows levels too fast and evolves, it will become unruly...unless it's a Caterpie or some other Pokémon that evolves quickly. Otherwise it won't listen to anyone but itself. So you have to pay attention to your Pokémon's attitude, and its fighting ability."  
  
"That doesn't make any sense," Matt replied. "If it's ready to evolve, how can you stop it?"  
  
"Well, there is a method for you to halt the evolution, but it hardly ever works. Regardless, you have to try."  
  
"That doesn't explain how my Charizard decided to just wake up and say 'I don't think I'll listen to my trainer today'. I like your idea about not forcing a Pokémon to evolve, but I never did it, either. Charizard's evolution was by simply working hard." Jordan minimized the Pokéball and placed it away.  
  
"Perhaps he was just in a bad mood then," Matt said. "We can't be sure since you said that he was always obedient until what just happened a little while ago. You can't always assume that something went wrong because he just decides to go on a power trip."  
  
"Well, now that I think about it, I think some recent event must have angered Charizard. It can't be because of lack of attention, because I use all of my Pokémon equally."  
  
"Maybe he was upset and frustrated after losing to A.J.'s Sandshrew," Matt suggested. "Even Spearow hasn't been in a good mood since losing to him, either." Matt enlarged a Pokéball and let Spearow out.  
  
Spearow squawked and stared at Matt. Its eyes were heavy, and its face was deep, almost as if he was trying to hide it. It frowned. Lizzie and Jordan stared with interest.  
  
"You see?" Matt said. "When we met those wild Pokémon in the forest, I couldn't use it on any of them. By the time they saw Spearow, they would run away."  
  
"Talk to it." Jordan said. "While you're working it out, I'll talk to Charizard."  
  
Matt nodded and sat down next to Spearow. "Hey, what's wrong?" All Matt heard from a reply was a quiet squawking noise. "Are you upset?" Spearow didn't reply. "Are you angry?" Spearow still didn't respond. Not a sound, not a nod, not even a sign that his voice was acknowledged. "Hmm..."  
  
While Matt was thinking, he heard yelling from not too far off. He turned and looked, and watched Jordan shaking his fist, as his Charizard was hanging its head in shame. "What exactly was the purpose of that?! You just decided to fall over and take a nap, while when I tried to get to your attention, you practically BURNED me! Are you pleased with yourself?! Are you?!"  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Oh, and yelling at him is supposed to make everything SO much better..."  
  
Matt began to get frustrated, as Spearow turned around and began to hop away, due to the yelling by Jordan. "Hey! Could you keep it down; your yelling isn't helping my matters over here!"  
  
"Squirtle?" Squirtle asked Spearow. Matt turned and looked at Squirtle. Very rarely Squirtle would speak; he was almost always silent. However, this intrigued him, as he was communicating with the Spearow.  
  
"Spearow, spearow. Row, spear. Spear, spearow..." Spearow replied.  
  
Matt watched as the conversation went on. After a while, Squirtle walked over to Matt and tugged on his sleeve.  
  
"Squirtle, squirt squirt squirtle," Squirtle said, calm and cool.  
  
Matt looked confused. "I'm sorry, I don't understand." He continued to listen as Squirtle attempted to act out what Spearow was saying. "I think I may have it. Spearow is stressed because--whoa! Wait a minute, he's stressed?!" Matt exclaimed.  
  
Squirtle blinked and sighed, shaking his head. He then continued his vague and bizarre body movements, while Matt himself shook his head in confusion. He had absolutely no idea what his Pokémon was trying to tell him.  
  
"Spearow, spearow. Spearow row spear?" Spearow asked Matt.  
  
Matt smacked his forehead and fell flat on his back, with his face staring towards the sky and the clouds above him. "I don't get ANY of this!"  
  
Lizzie gave off an exasperating sigh and walked up towards Matt. "Look, Spearow isn't stressed, or sad, or anything. He's just tired okay?" Squirtle nodded as a small grin appeared on his face. "It's not that big of a deal! He just needs a nice long rest."  
  
Matt sits up and with a surprised, yet frustrated look, he stared at Lizzie. "You mean I practically spent the entire day figuring out what's wrong with him, when you knew all along?!"  
  
"Ugh, am I SUPPOSED to tell you what kind of mood your Pokémon is in?!" Lizzie looked to see Jordan was still yelling at his Charizard. She once again turned her attention to Matt. "It seemed a little bit obvious, but whatever. Call back Spearow so we can get going. It's starting to get cloudy, and I'd like to get to Vermillion in case it starts raining."  
  
"Get it?!" Jordan exclaimed at his Charizard. It nodded. "Got it?!" The Charizard nodded. "GOOD! Now GET BACK INSIDE!" Jordan commanded, absorbing Charizard back inside of his Pokéball.  
  
"I'm glad you settled things," Matt responded rather bitterly. "I didn't think it was necessary to yell at him like that, though."  
  
"Hey! Who's the experienced trainer here?" Jordan replied. "You use YOUR methods to discipline your Pokémon, and I'll use mine. Is that understood?"  
  
"You know, you're both really starting to get on my nerves!" Lizzie exclaimed. "Let's just go! I'd like to leave this forest sometime this week!"  
  
As the group continued their walk down the detour, Matt suggested they cut through a specific portion of the forest, which would lead to Route 6, and a shorter passage towards Vermillion City. The other two agreed, without finding any reason to object. As they began walking through the shortcut, through almost a wall of trees, Matt noticed a building, though it was practically unnoticeable.  
  
"What's a building doing in this part of the woods?" Matt asked. He pulled out his map and began to look for some kind of mark. "I don't see it on the map."  
  
"Geez, it's a good think you said something, otherwise I wouldn't have even noticed it," Lizzie said. "But since it's not on the map, I don't think it's Pokémon related."  
  
"I don't believe it, Matt, you've found one!" Jordan started to run towards the building. Matt and Lizzie soon followed.  
  
"Found what? What is this place?" Matt asked.  
  
The three stopped in front of the entrance of the building. It seemed relatively new, by Matt's eyes. It was made from solid bricks, though Matt wondered how it was practically unnoticeable.  
  
"This is a hidden Pokémon gym!" Jordan said. "These gyms are so rare, there's only a few of these in existence!"  
  
"What does that mean, then? Do we need to search these out in order to quality for the Indigo League?" Matt asked.  
  
"No, no, no," Jordan replied. "All you need are eight from the qualified gyms, but you can actually collect as many badges you want. If you've collected a certain amount, you automatically qualify to battle the Elite Four!"  
  
"Are you kidding me?" Matt said. "So if you collect them all, you could just skip the competition itself and go straight to challenging the Elite Four?"  
  
"That's right. But the problem is that these hidden gyms are spread out practically everywhere in possibly every Pokémon League out there. It could take a lifetime to find all of them."  
  
"I see."  
  
"But the good thing is, these qualify as actual badges. If you collect the ones here, they could be good enough for you to compete in the Indigo League if you can get them. But it's only for this league only. If you wanted to transfer to another league, these badges wouldn't quality," Jordan said.  
  
"This could work to our advantage. The leader in Viridian City has been missing for the longest time; if I get the badge here, I won't have to worry about being a badge short!" Matt smirked at the thought.  
  
"Well, let's go inside..." Jordan opened the large wooden door and held it for everybody to enter. Inside it was only one room. It was well-lit, but rather chilled. The same bricks used on the exterior of the building also covered the interior. In the center of the room was a battlefield, made out of wood. In front of it was a middle-aged woman, with deep green eyes, glasses, wearing a sweatsuit. Her brown, greying hair was tied back into a ponytail. The women looked up and noticed the three trainers standing at the entrance.  
  
"Oh, hello there. I see you've found my secret gym." She then stood up and closed her magazine. "I wondered when I would see another Pokémon trainer. In my ten years being here, this is only my fifth visit."  
  
"Ten years?" Lizzie asked, completely surprised.  
  
"Wow, it IS a rare find..." Matt muttered. "Anyway, what kind of badge do you give out if we win?"  
  
"Well, you get the Blue Crystal Badge," the woman said. "There are a total of thirty Crystal Badges; if you find them all, you will quality to challenge the Elite Trainers of every Pokémon gym!" The woman then pulled out a Pokéball. "The gym is right over here. Follow me."  
  
The woman walked towards one side of the battlefield, while Matt walked towards his side. As usual, he checked his surroundings, and found nothing abnormal or usual. He noticed how much space was in the air compared to normal Pokémon gyms; Matt figured perhaps she used flying Pokémon.  
  
"Wow, you have quite the fighting space!" Matt said. He then pulled out a Pokéball and turned his head towards Lizzie, who was standing at the sidelines. "Let me fight first, Lizzie. You can go next."  
  
"Let me warn you," the woman began. "You are only allowed to use one Pokémon. Should you fail you won't be able to battle again for 24 hours, got that?"  
  
Matt nodded in reply.  
  
Jordan smiled and crossed his arms. "Ah, it's nice to see youth going into Pokémon battles."  
  
"Whatever..." Lizzie muttered, then turned her attention towards Jordan. "Hey. Aren't you going to fight for this badge?"  
  
Jordan was silent for a moment. "Well...um...I..."  
  
"Well, what is it?" Lizzie asked.  
  
Jordan walked closer to Lizzie, cupped his hands around her ear and whispered something. After hearing this, Lizzie's eyes widened the quickly bolted her head and stared into the eyes of Jordan. Jordan put a finger up to his lips, motioning for her to be quiet. Matt watched them, and noticed something bizarre that occured, but said nothing. Instead, he threw an enlarged Pokéball out into the battlefield.  
  
"Let's go Zubat!" Matt yelled.  
  
"Go, Venusaur!" The middle-aged woman threw an enlarged Pokéball out into a battlefield as a Venusaur appeared and growled upon its entrance. Matt noticed that it was another Pokémon with a bulb on its back. Like Ivysaur, except the flower on its back was completely grown as well as the size of it was significantly larger to that of an Ivysaur.  
  
Matt quickly pulled out his Pokédex to get some quick reference. He then stared at his Zubat. "Leech Life, Zubat!"  
  
From its high position in the air, the bat-like Pokémon used its censors to indicate the location of its opponent. Upon discovering it, it quickly swooped and landed on the Venusaur's back and began to drain some of its energy with its fangs. The large Pokémon flinched and nearly lost its balance, uncertain of what just occured.  
  
"Vine Whip, Venusaur," the woman said calmly.   
  
Venusaur, almost suddenly noticing the Zubat on its back uncovered what Matt counted as six vines and struck Zubat violently with each one, sending it off soaring into the air. Fortunately, Zubat was able to regain its balance, and began flying about again.  
  
Matt sighed in relief after clenching his teeth. "That was a close call. Okay then, Supersonic waves!"  
  
The Zubat revived from the brutal thrashing and released mind-altering waves towards the Venusaur. Its vision blurred, it began moving around, completely baffled and uncertain of its actions. It unleashed its own Vine Whip attack against itself, and fell crashing onto the hard, wodden surface below.  
  
"Come on Zubat!" Matt yelled.   
  
Zubat from its position quickly swooped down and struck Venusaur across the face. The force of the attack sent Venusaur tumbling, but the mind-altering Supersonic attack's effect faded quickly. Noticing its opponent in front of it, Venusaur lunged forward, and struck Zubat with its head.  
  
The battle continued. Both Pokémon continued to go back and forth with attacks, without either of them backing down from the challenge. After a few more moments, the battle became very intense, as both trainers were very cautious of their next commands.  
  
"Zubat, careful now!" Matt yelled.  
  
The middle-aged woman gave Matt a smile. "You fight very well, but unfortunately, the match must end. Venusaur, Solar Beam."  
  
Crap! Matt thought. That's the most powerful attack! "Zubat, watch it!"  
  
Venusaur shifted its position into direct sunlight, as it began to absorb it. Matt was uncertain of this attack; he only had vague thoughts about it. He eventually noticed a lot of glowing energy and light from the flower of the Pokémon, before realizing what the attack will do.  
  
"Matt, you need to strike now, before the attack is released!" Jordan shouted.  
  
A cold drop of sweat came down Matt's red cheek. He wiped it away and looked at Zubat who was just still in the air. "Just wait...."  
  
The light glowing on its back continued to grow, as Venusaur had finished absorbing energy. Instantly, it aimed and fired.  
  
"Flash attack now!" Matt commanded.  
  
As the large, wide blast of light came towards it, Zubat quickly flew away from it. As the attack struck the back wall, Zubat flew in from behind and slashed across the back of Venusaur. Matt then quickly turned his attention to the slight debris which was falling off the wall, but noticed that generally, all was well.  
  
Matt turned his attention again towards the battlefield. Venusaur was immobile, while Zubat continued to fly around. He smiled, knowing he had just won.  
  
"Flash attack?" Jordan muttered, seeming very confused. "Flash attack? I've never even heard of that attack, or anything similar to that, other than a blinding light. But regardless...does it even exist?"  
  
Matt nodded. "I don't know if it itself has been classified as an official attack for Zubat, but the other day, I noticed something very strange. It's when it becomes calm for a moment, then uses all of his energy to fly very quickly and attack the opponent from behind. I thought about giving a name for it, so I could use it willingly."  
  
"Maybe you should teach that to Spearow?" Lizzie suggested. "It's really a creative attack, Matt."  
  
"I just might, but only Zubat seems to be one capable of doing it."  
  
The woman nodded. I underestimated your abilities as a Pokémon trainer. Take this." The woman tossed a clear blue, crystal-shaped badge over to Matt. He caught it it and looked at it.   
  
"Wow...this almost looks like a real crystal..."  
  
"Come on Matt. Let's go outside and wait for Lizzie to battle," Jordan suggested. Matt nodded and left the battlefield, following Jordan.  
  
"You mean you're not going to watch?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"We'll come back. I just want to go outside," Jordan replied.  
  
"Right..." Lizzie repled, and walked to the platform where Matt was standing.  
  
"Return Venusaur," the woman said as Venusaur was absorbed inside of its Pokéball.  
  
"Yikes!" Matt shouted, running back towards the battlefield. "Sorry Zubat, I nearly forgot about you! Come on back now." Zubat was then absorbed back inside, as Matt minimized the Pokéball, placing it back on his Pokémon belt. "This is sweet..." He then ran through the front doors, following Jordan.  
  
Matt left the gym noticing that Jordan was sitting and leaning next to a large, dark-trunked tree. Matt sat down beside him. Squirtle also joined them, crawling on top of Matt's lap and sat there, relaxing.  
  
"Cute..." Jordan commented. "Well, anyway, you have a great Pokémon there."  
  
"Who? Squirtle or Zubat?" Matt asked.  
  
"Well, they both are. You managed to teach Zubat a new move that doesn't exist in the Pokédex. Hell, that may be the only Zubat to learn such a trick." Jordan said.  
  
"That might be..." Matt began. "But somebody else might have learned that trick already."  
  
"It's possible, but either way, it's very creative." Jordan said. He then sighed. "Well Matt...I need to tell you something...something that may be rather shocking to you."  
  
Matt raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What is it?"  
  
"I remember you both asking me how I should be well known, and I told this to Lizzie while you were battling but...I'm..." Jordan sighed again. Matt payed close attention to Jordan, waiting for him to tell, for he was very intrigued. "I'm really part of the Elite Four."  
  
Matt jumped up, knocking Squirtle off of him. "What?!"  
  
Squirtle mumbled, rubbing his head.  
  
"Please don't take this personally, but I have indeed been a Pokémon trainer for over seven years. I am without a doubt one of the strongest Pokémon trainers who is currently out there."   
  
"Well...why aren't you near the Indigo Plateau now?" Matt asked.  
  
"I was too good." Jordan said. "Ever since I joined the Elite Four, I would be the last trainer to ever be battled in order for one to be not only the victor of the Indigo League, but actually be considered a Pokémon Master."  
  
"And...?" Matt asked.  
  
"Well, in all of only two years of being an Elite leader, not one single person beat me, except for this one exceptional trainer," Jordan said. "After I lost, I was pretty much kicked out."  
  
"That's too bad," Matt replied. "Well, will I have to fight you in the Pokémon League if I can get that far?"  
  
Jordan shrugged his shoulders. "If they decide to let me back in...maybe. But as of right now, no. They've found...somebody else," he replied, rather upset  
  
Quickly, Lizzie ran out of the doors with her own Blue Crystal Badge. "I won!"  
  
"That was quick..." Matt said.  
  
"Well yeah, I just had good ol' Val blast that Mankey to a crisp. We've both got what we came for, now let's go to Vermillion and get our fourth badge!" Lizzie smiled.  
  
Matt stood up, continuing to stare at Jordan. "I can't believe it. A former Elite Four member is travelling with us."  
  
"No autographs, please," Jordan replied standing up.  
  
"Oh, it's not that, I was just finding it funny that the highest, and hardest trainer to beat was taken out so easily by A.J.!"  
  
"Now that's cruel...you didn't do too well yourself, you know. But that doesn't matter. You said you wanted to go to Vermillion, right? Well, let's get back on the road, and onto Route 6!"  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	11. Electrifying Shocker

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 11: Electrifying Shocker  
  
  
  
Upon walking down the long, dirt path of Route 6, Matt, Lizzie, Jordan and Squirtle finally arrived at the front gates of the large, and beautiful Vermillion City. Previously, cutting through the woods at the detour between Route 5 and 6, the Pokémon trainers made a shocking discovery, the location of a hidden gym. Within it, Matt and Lizzie were each able to obtain the Blue Crystal Badge; twenty-nine other hidden gyms are in existence, and collecting all of them immediately admits a battle to the Pokémon League's elite, in all leagues!  
  
Matt pulled out a water bottle from his small ice pack in his backpack and guzzled it down. He then wiped his mouth and sighs contentedly. "I had forgotten I had this with me."  
  
"Why couldn't you have given us a drink; I'm thirsty, too!" Jordan blurted out.  
  
"You should have asked, but maybe the Pokémon Center will have some food," Matt said.  
  
"Possibly, but we can't rely on that. Usually there's a restaurant nearby, but that's a little ridiculous just to get a drink."  
  
Using the map as their guide, the Pokémon trainers managed to find their way towards the Pokémon Center in the large city. Lizzie pointed towards the entrance, as they followed her inside. Inside were many Pokémon trainers, as there was a lot of noise due to the consistent chatter made between trainers. It was large, and vast, and unlike Cerulean's Pokémon Center, it was kept clean, to Matt's delight.  
  
"The front desk is clear," Lizzie said. "Come on, let's--"  
  
"Get out of the way!" a yelling voice shouted.  
  
As the three turned around, a tray was pushed by two Chansies and a young boy running after it. Matt, Lizzie, Jordan, and Squirtle quickly jumped out of the way as the running crew ran straight into the Emergency Room in the back.  
  
"What was THAT all about?" Matt asked.  
  
"There was a really injured Pokémon on that..." Lizzie said.  
  
"He was just rushed in without going through the front desk? That isn't fair," Matt commented, ringing the bell at the front desk.   
  
Nurse Joy came running out. "What, what is it? What's wrong with your Pokémon?"  
  
"Nothing...nothing's wrong," Matt replied. "They just need to be recovered. He's tired like my other Pokémon here." He handed the remainder of his Pokéballs to Joy. Lizzie and Jordan handed to Joy their Pokéballs as well.  
  
"Oh! I know you!" Nurse Joy yelled out at Jordan. "You're that Elite Four trainer aren't you? You're a really strong trainer."  
  
Jordan's eyes widened, but made a throat-slashing motion. "Keep it down, please. I don't want anybody to know I'm here," he nervously looked around, to make sure that nobody else was looking. "But still, if you think I'm strong, perhaps you and I could get together this evening."  
  
Nurse Joy giggled. "You're so cute. But I can't, I have too many Pokémon to take care of because of the gym leader here...."  
  
Jordan snapped his fingers in disappointment.  
  
"Who's the gym leader here?" Matt asked.  
  
"Well, they call him Lieutenant Surge. He's on quite a winning streak now. People who have left the Pokémon Center have come back in less than fifteen minutes," Joy began. "He's extremely strong. If this goes on like this, my Pokémon Center is going to be overcrowded. It's already busy enough as it is with the trainers running back and forth. Not to mention if nobody can beat him within a specific time, he'll have to be replaced."  
  
"My, that's terrible! That's the same reason that Jordan was to take a leave of absence from the Pokémon League!" Lizzie said.  
  
"Would you keep it down?!" Jordan shouted sternly.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"  
  
Joy once again turned her attention towards Jordan. "But in all of the times I've watched some trainers fight you, they never came close to beating you."  
  
Jordan blushed again. "Oh please. I've had Charizard for a very long time; his power is only natural. He's not overworked or anything like that, really. I take very good care of them."  
  
Matt groaned at Jordan's remarks and shoved him aside. "Make up your mind, idiot; do you want to be noticed or not? Anyway, how long will it take to heal our Pokémon? We're actually here to face the gym leader ourselves."  
  
"Okay. Come back in about half an hour. Since there are so many Pokémon here, it may take a while. So, why don't you go to the restaurant and have a nice bite to eat." Joy smiled as she walked away.  
  
Taking the Nurse's advice, Jordan, Lizzie, and Matt entered a rather fancy-looking restaurant. Jordon offered to pay, so the others couldn't refuse. Neither Matt nor Lizzie hesitated to order something which they found was out of the price range, but Jordan didn't mind; he didn't respond. He himself ordered something that was pricey according to Matt.  
  
Matt took out his pouch and dumped all three of his badges that he has earned so far. "Well, Lizzie, check it out. Very soon we'll be able to compete in the Indigo League, and we're one step closer to becoming great trainers."  
  
"Well, basically that's everybody's dream, Matt." Jordan said. "Everybody's goals are basically the same. But don't get overconfident; only perform your best. Don't overdo it and don't start getting frustrated if you begin to lose too often."  
  
Lizzie nodded. "That's right. We must both only perform no more than our best."  
  
"I wonder what the other badges look like?" Matt asked.  
  
"Here, take a look at this..." Jordan took out a chart with all of the possible badges which could be earned. "In my leave of absence, the Pokémon League gave me this, they thought that I could earn all of them."  
  
"That's a lot of badges..." Matt said. "And so far Lizzie and I have three badges."  
  
"Oh yeah!" Lizzie went into her backpack and tore out a Pokémon book. "I bought this a few days before I met Matt. I was about to read it when Team Rocket stole Val; I completely forgot that I had it!"  
  
"Team Rocket is so strange," Jordan said. "They're so hard to track down. Only a few people have actually seen them, but like me, others might think it's only a threat."  
  
"We've already encountered them three times," Matt said. "If we've been seeing them that often, they might keep coming back for us. They don't seem the type of group to quit after one loss."  
  
"Well, anyway--hey!" Lizzie shouted, finding something intriguing in her book. "Did you know that in other leagues in other places of the world that Pokémon have different names in different languages?"  
  
"Really? Cool!" Matt replied and leaned forward to look at what Lizzie was looking at. "Hey, look up Squirtle!"  
  
Lizzie flipped though her book and looked through it. She said a few names in different languages, and came across one that Matt really liked. "Hmm, this one says 'Zenigame'."  
  
"What was that one again?" Matt asked. "I like it. I actually REALLY like it; I think it's cool."  
  
"Zenigame," she repeated. "That IS cool...I think he'll like it." Lizzie smiled.  
  
Matt chuckled. "If he ever knows why I'm calling him that..."  
  
"Well, we've been waiting for a while, are we going to get served soon?" Jordan asked.  
  
A few moments later, the waitress arrived with their lunches. Matt ordered a large bowl of soup with a sandwich, Lizzie ordered a cream-pasta dish with garlic bread, while Jordan ordered a large steak with home fries and a salad. They each enjoyed their meal and thanked Jordan for such a rare treat. After eating, the three return to the Pokémon Center where Nurse Joy was waiting.  
  
"Oh, just a second!" Joy shouted, and quickly walked in the back room. Seconds later, she returned with three small packs, with six slots each that held all of the Pokéballs. "Here you are, now. For Jordan, for Lizzie, and for Matt. I made sure I have the right ones here, but you could double check if you wish." She handed Matt his Pokémon. She then handed Jordan and Lizzie their Pokémon.  
  
Matt returned his Pokéballs to his belt, and picked Squirtle up. "Okay Squirtle, I've been thinking of giving you a name. How's Zenigame for you?"  
  
Squirtle blinked, almost as if he was uncertain whether to respond or not.  
  
"Glad you like it. Come on guys, I want to meet this gym leader," he placed Squirtle down on the floor. "Personally, I hope he's not as tough as they make him seem."  
  
"Same here," Lizzie said, putting her Pokéballs in her backpack. "Let's go kick some ass!"  
  
"Let's hope so." Jordan said. "But I've seen you two battle already; if you have too hard of a time with him, he might have to be replaced."  
  
"I really don't think it's entirely the leader's fault, Jordan." Matt said. "It has to do with type advantage, mostly. If not that, then at least the Pokémon's fighting experience. I mean, the only people we've seen rushing in and out have all been kids, with a Pidgey and Rattata. They alone aren't going to win any gym match."  
  
"Good point," Jordan replied quietly, but loud enough so that both Matt and Lizzie could hear him. "Well, let's get going."  
  
As Matt, Squirtle, Lizzie and Jordan leave the Pokémon Center, they once again checked the map for the gym and discovered that it wasn't too far away. After about ten minutes of walking, they stopped in front of the entrance with two lightning bolts over the door.  
  
"Pretty nifty exterior..." Matt commented, in awe of the size of the building. "Come on, let's go inside." He pushed the two doors open and entered a dark room with Lizzie and Jordan following. "Great, another dark and creepy gym."  
  
Two people came up to greet him. A man and a woman, but since it was dark, that's all Matt could make out of them. As they moved to the side, a very tall muscular man approached Matt with thundering footfalls.  
  
Matt's heart began to beat very quickly. The same thing happened with Lizzie and Jordan.  
  
"So, which one of ya's are gonna fight me?" The man said.  
  
"You're Lieutenant Surge?" Matt asked. "Sheesh, how many times a day do you work out?"  
  
"Hmm, at least five times. But it probably wouldn't hurt if you did some weight training, yourself. All skinny like that. Heh, heh, heh." Lieutenant Surge chuckled. The people behind him also laughed.  
  
"I didn't come here to be mocked," Matt said.  
  
"You may only use one Pokémon. So choose wisely," Surge said. "Come." Flipping on a switch, the gym lit up entirely so the battlefield could be visible. The gym leader approached one side of the field, while Matt walked towards the other side, and noticed that it was exactly the same type of gym as it was in the hidden gym he had been to earlier in the day.  
  
Surge took out a Pokéball and enlarged it. "You'd better be good to beat my Pokémon. Heh, heh, heh."  
  
"You've been wanting a good fight for a while, huh? I won't betray your desires."  
  
Surge threw his Pokéball. "Go, Raichu!" Surge yelled. A large, orange Pokémon with a whip-black tail and sharp, determined black eyes stared down the field.  
  
Matt began to wind up to throw his enlarged Pokéball, but stopped. "A Raichu?! I can't use Zubat for that." Matt minimized the Pokéball and while placing it back on his belt, he pulled out another one. "Flying and water types are no good against electric, so I guess I'll have to go with Pinsir. Go!" Matt threw the enlarged Pokéball onto the battlefield as Pinsir appeared.  
  
"Hmm..." Surge said. "This looks like fun. Raichu, Mega Kick!"  
  
Raichu dashed from its position and leaping off of the floor, it launched forward its foot. Striking Pinsir directly in the head, it fell over. As Raichu landed, it struck Pinsir with its tail.  
  
"Geez!" Matt yelled. "Pinsir, Seismic Toss!"  
  
Quickly leaping to its feet, Pinsir lunged at the Raichu, grasping its entire body tightly within its claws. It jumped high in the air, and slammed Raichu violently upon the gym floor. The sound of the collision was like thunder; Pinsir landed a moment later.  
  
"Just a bit more," Matt said.  
  
Both Pokémon continued to launch physical attacks at each other, using every resource to them possible: their own bodies. Neither trainer was going to stop the current battle; both of them watched in awe to see who would come up on top.  
  
Lieutenant Surge yawned in a mockingly fashion, then covered his mouth with his hand. He then lowered it and shook his head. "This is gettin' boring. Raichu, Thunderbolt!"  
  
Raichu shook off Pinsir by striking it with a fist. As Pinsir climbed itself to its feet, from its own body Raichu unleashed several thousand volts directly through Pinsir. The entire battlefield lit up, and Matt was unable to see what had happened. Instantly, the flash of light was gone, and Pinsir was down, not moving. Some smoke began to rise from its body after taking head on the powerful attack.  
  
"You lose..." Surge said. He then chuckled and patted his Raichu on the head. "This is getting way too easy."  
  
"Pinsir, return," Matt muttered, absorbing Pinsir back inside its Pokéball. Matt turned to Lizzie, almost beckoning for her to challenge him next. To his surprise, Lizzie dashed out the front door. Jordan and Matt were right behind him.  
  
"Hey, don't get so down." Jordan said. "You were so close to beating him. If Raichu's power was muted, you could have hit him once more and then that would have been kaput for him."  
  
"Jordon, don't!" Lizzie cried out. "That will only make him feel worse!"  
  
Matt shook his head. "No. It was a good battle, I admit it. But it seems that Raichu's weakness is speed. I was able to take a couple of good attacks from behind, I noticed."  
  
"I don't think it's such a good idea to be standing here, talking," Jordan added. "Even I noticed smoke rising from Pinsir's body." Jordan turned his attention to Lizzie. "If you want to challenge him, I'll wait here for you, but Matt needs to get his Pinsir back into health."  
  
"No, it's all right...I'm afraid of that Raichu. Didn't you see in his eyes? All of those victories made it really confident in itself. Not to mention with Val's small body, that Thunderbolt would do more damage to it than what it did to Pinsir."  
  
"So you're not going to challenge him at all?" Matt asked.  
  
"We'll see...."  
  
Re-entering the Pokémon Center, the line-up was long, however it moved very quickly. When it was his turn, Matt handed his Pinsir over to Joy. He dropped to one knee and spoke to Zenigame: "Stay here Zenigame. I'm going to talk to Joy."  
  
"You took the longest out of everyone today," Joy said. "You didn't seem to do that badly of a job...or did you win?"  
  
"No, I lost, but barely. Bad strategy I guess. Most of the injured Pokémon I see here are mostly of the flying type. I don't know why these kids are using them, since flying Pokémon are extremely vulnerable to electric attacks, particularly against that Raichu," Matt replied.  
  
"That's true. Come with me, maybe I can help," Joy made a gesture with her arm for Matt to follow her. Matt found this gesture peculiar.  
  
"I'll be right back guys," Matt said as he followed Joy to the back room. Inside, Matt looked around, for this was his first time there. He noticed many Pokéballs all placed in one area, hooked up to a large machine. The revitilizer, Matt thought. He then continued to follow Joy as she opened a door to another room. It was very dark. "Hmm...why are you bringing me in here?"  
  
"These Pokémon were brutally injured with some odd cause..." Joy said. "These Pokémon had trainers once. They just dropped them off here one day, claiming that they weren't theirs. All of them."  
  
"That's awful..." Matt frowned.  
  
"Here..." Nurse Joy picked up a baby Pikachu with a large scar about an inch long across its face. "Because of this brutal scar, nobody wants this poor thing. It was actually found lingering outside my Pokémon Center, but none of the other trainers I asked wanted it."  
  
"It's cute," Matt started to scratch the Pikachu behind its ears.  
  
"Pika..." the baby Pikachu replied, its ears perking up. Matt noticed that it had a shining fur coat of gold, with an interesting, zig-zagging tail.  
  
"You seem to be the only one interested; thank goodness somebody out there is at long last. There are also other Pokémon here if you wish to have them," Joy offered.  
  
Matt looked around. He saw a Bulbasaur, with several cuts and bruises, a Charmeleon, as well with many cuts and scratches, and an Oddish, with a large bruise on one of its feet. After a while, he sighed. "I'm going to take care of this Pikachu."  
  
Joy smiled. "That's wonderful. Would any of your friends like any of these Pokémon?"  
  
"Can I take them all?" Matt asked.  
  
"Really? You'd take responsibility for all of these Pokémon?" Nurse Joy asked.  
  
Matt nodded. "It's just that if I just took this Pikachu, nobody else might want these other ones. Not to mention it's very difficult finding a Bulbasaur and a Charmelon."  
  
Joy smiled again. "Oh, I just want to HUG you!" She took all four Pokémon and placed them inside Pokéballs.  
  
Matt laughed and blushed. "It's no big deal."  
  
"First I'll need to register them," Joy stated, typing their date inside a nearby computer. "They're registered, but you can't keep them with you. Your roster is full; would you like to substitute some of them?"  
  
Matt took out three Pokéballs. "I'll switch Pidgey, Spearow, and Clefairy for Pikachu, Charmeleon, and Bulbasaur." He handed them to Nurse Joy.  
  
Nurse Joy took the three Pokéballs, plus the one that included Oddish and placed them on a bizarre tray. After hitting a switch, the three Pokéballs had vanished. Matt was surprised at what he saw, but Nurse Joy explained the device to him.  
  
"They'll go to the one who handed you your Pokédex, and it happens to be Professor Oak. He'll take care of them for you for a while; don't worry, he doesn't mind. Since you have a Clefairy, he may do some extra research on that."  
  
"These Pokémon, other than their scars, they're okay, aren't they?"  
  
Nurse Joy nodded. "Their wounds will heal in time. But for now, thank you."  
  
Matt walked passed the door into the back room, and through the door which lead back to the main room. There he found Jordan, Lizzie and Squirtle, sitting at a table.  
  
"What took you so long? Where did you go?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"I went and got some new Pokémon from Joy. These ones were dumped by previous trainers..."  
  
"Terrible...what did you get?" Jordan asked.  
  
"Pikachu, Charmeleon, Bulbasaur...and Oddish. I'm keeping the first three with me on my journey," Matt stretched.  
  
"Wow..." Lizzie said.  
  
"Look at this..." Matt took out a Pokéball and opened it. The baby Pikachu came out.  
  
Lizzie gasped. "Aww! It's so cute!" She picked it up and started to pet it. She then noticed the scar on its leg. "Somebody abandoned such a helpless little thing because of THIS?" She handed it back to Matt.  
  
Matt nodded and took the Pikachu back. "It's so cute. I'm going to toughen it up though. I thought that I'd try my new Pokémon out with Surge. Come on, let's go!"  
  
Matt, Lizzie, Jordan, Squirtle, along with the baby Pikachu exited the Pokémon Center and once again headed towards the Vermillion City gym. With a strategy planned in his head, he was planning to go up another round with Lieutenant Surge, one more time.  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	12. A Victory and a Tournament

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 12: A Victory and a Tournament  
  
  
  
Recently, Matt challenged the leader of Vermillion City, Lieutenant Surge to a Gym Battle. Matt fought well, but lost the match due to a powerful Thunderbolt from his Raichu. After some very appreciated help from Nurse Joy, Matt is ready to take on Surge for another round; with possibly Lizzie to follow.  
  
Approaching the large, steel doors of the gym Matt opened them and entered inside. Squirtle, Lizzie and Jordan followed. Much to everyone's surprise, Surge was already battling a small boy with some other people watching from the sidelines.  
  
"Raichu, Thundershock!" Surge commanded.  
  
Raichu concentrated, and sent forth a blast of electricity towards the small rat Pokémon. Taking the attack head on, the Rattata collapsed, and was not moving. Quickly, the boy picked up his Pokémon and dashed towards the entrance; Matt, Lizzie and Jordan stepped aside. Matt watched the next two people battle Surge one after another, but both lost miserably. They, too dashed out the front doors.  
  
"Why do they keep using the same Pokémon? Rat, then bird, then rat...it makes no sense!" Lizzie said. "I mean, these are the types of Pokémon he's been beating all along; they can't make him step down as gym leader because of that!"  
  
"I'm sure the league will understand, unless of course Matt is able to beat him," Jordan stated.  
  
Surge chuckled and approached his Raichu, patting it on the head. "Wow, you're gettin' better at pummelin' each trainer we see. We'll have to time you one of these days and see how long it will take to defeat each trainer."  
  
Matt intentionally forced a cough. "So, what you're saying is that everyone is a bad trainer?"  
  
Surge quickly turned his head towards the entrance and saw Matt. "Oh, it's you again! You fought pretty good the last time. Are you willing to give it another go?"  
  
Matt nodded. "You bet."  
  
"Okay, Raichu. Get ready," Surge said.  
  
Matt walked towards the challenger's side, then looked at his Pokémon belt. "Hmm...Bulbasaur, Pikachu, or Charmeleon..." Matt said quietly, trying to decide. "Pikachu wouldn't be very good, he and Raichu are both electric. Plus, it's just a baby..."  
  
"Okay, let's go already!" Surge yelled out. "Raichu's on the field, where's your Pokémon?"  
  
"Hold your horses, I'm coming," Matt replied, enlarging a Pokéball. "Size is also a factor in this, so, I'm deciding to go with Charmeleon!"  
  
Jordan widened his eyes. "He's chosing Charmeleon? But...he hasn't even battled with it yet!"  
  
As the Pokéball struck the battlefield, Charmeleon's form took shape. A large, red, dinosaur-type Pokémon with long, sharp claws, and a horn on top of its head. Like Charmander and Charizard, the tip of its tail held a fire. It took hold of Raichu, and glared at it, with determination in its eyes.  
  
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Surge muttered mockingly. "Your Pokémon there is in bad shape; I hope that it will hold out okay."  
  
"Just a sec..." Matt said. He walked up to Charmeleon, who wasn't sure who its new trainer was. He put his hand on top of Charmelon's back, as it turned to face him. "I'm aware that you once had a trainer, and I'm not so certain why you were let go. However, I am willing to take a chance with you; I believe in you. Would you battle for me?"  
  
Matt felt rather awkward after saying such a ridiculously cheesy thing, in his opinion, but to his delight Charmeleon nodded. It then turned around and faced Raichu, with the same blazing determination in its eyes.  
  
"Slash attack!" Matt yelled out.  
  
Never letting sight of its opponent, Charmeleon launched itself off the ground, holding its claws right in the air. As it landed, it noticed that Raichu was defending itself. Upon landing, Charmeleon slashed right across the Raichu's gut. Raichu collapsed in pain momentarily, before jumping back up and striking Charmeleon with its head. Charmeleon was sent tumbling, but quickly scrambled back on top of its feet.  
  
"It's so confident," Lizzie muttered.  
  
"Ember attack!" Matt commanded.  
  
Charmeleon took in a deep breath, as a small fireball grew in its mouth. Raichu, who was hesitating, stood still, before backing up a little bit. Charmeleon launched his head forward, then unleashed a string of several fireballs, each hitting Raichu. Raichu struggled as its fur was now engulfed in flames. It rolled on the gym floor, it jumped, it was trying everything possible in desperation. Surge was stunned.  
  
"Finish it off!" Matt shouted.  
  
Charmeleon leaped from its previous position, sending forth a kick. It struck directly on the face of Raichu, sending it crashing violently into the gym floor. Charmeleon landed, standing still, waiting to see if the opponent would move. Raichu struggled, trying to pull itself to its feet. It was still slightly engulfed, though now its vision was blurring.  
  
"RAICHU!" Surge screamed. "That's it, stop! Raichu has a concussion, you win, you win!" He dashed forward, putting out the flames with a nearby blanket.  
  
"Ha-ha!" Matt jumped into the air, victorious.  
  
Charmeleon also celebrated. It looked like it hadn't won a battle in a rather long time.  
  
Surge sighed. "Well, my sixty-four straight victories have come to a surprising end. Here ya go. You won it fair and square." Surge tossed something small and glimmering towards Matt.  
  
Matt caught it and stared at it. It was in a shape of a lightning bolt, or a Pikachu's tail. "Four badges. All I need are four more, then I can compete for the Indigo Championships." He held out a Pokéball and absorbed Charmeleon back inside.  
  
Surge groaned and stared at Raichu. "This is terrible. Raichu won't be able to battle for a while, so if your other friends wanted to--Oh, Jordan! I recognize you from the Elite Four! I am honoured by your presence. Is there something you wish of me?"  
  
Jordan's eyes widened, surprised by the sudden call of his name. "I was here the entire time that Matt was here, twice. Why does he recognize me now?"  
  
Lizzie walked over and whispered something into Jordan's ear. He then whispered something back into her ear, and she did the same to him once more. Jordan nodded, then stared back towards Surge.  
  
"Possibly a Thunder Badge for this girl right beside me."  
  
"What?!" Surge cried out. "You can't just demand a badge!"  
  
"Very well," Jordan replied, pulling out a Pokéball. "Then perhaps I will battle you, for another one."  
  
"Raichu is in no shape to battle; come back later."  
  
"All right then, I will. Remember the Charizard I beat you with last time?"  
  
Surge's eyes widened. He then clenched his fists, walked around, pacing, muttering, cursing under his breath, then stopped. He sighed, and pulled out another badge from his pocket. He tossed it towards Jordan. He caught it.  
  
"Fine. It's yours, babe," Surge muttered. "Don't you tell anybody about this, all right?"  
  
"I was going to ask of you the same thing."  
  
"Babe?!" Lizzie said, with an angry look in her eyes. She angrily and violently grabbed the badge from Jordan, nearly breaking it. She then turned around and kicked the doors open, exiting the gym. Matt laughed in response. He then faced Surge again.  
  
"Well...thanks for the battle. Nice Raichu. Hopefully I'll get one for myself someday." He walked towards the front door, while Jordan was already holding it open for him. Matt thanked him and passed through. Jordan then followed, closing the door after him.  
  
"Where did Lizzie go?" Matt asked. As he looked around. He saw Lizzie kicking a tree. Matt stood still, saying nothing.  
  
"Babe?! BABE?! Who does that muscle-bound jerk think he is, calling me 'Babe'?!" Lizzie continued to kick the tree.  
  
"Oh, come on Lizzie. He thought he was being nice," Jordan said. Lizzie momentarily stopped kicking the tree and growled. She then turned and glared at Jordan.  
  
"I DON'T like being called 'Babe', is that too hard to understand?!" Lizzie started kicking the tree again.  
  
"I don't see the reason why you're so offended," Matt replied. "Surge just thought that you were good-looking, that's all."  
  
Suddenly, Lizzie stopped kicking the tree, then turned around to face Matt.   
  
"He...he really thought that?"  
  
Matt groaned heavily and threw his arms up in the air in disgust. "This is ridiculous," he said, looking at his watch. "It's about late afternoon, and I don't want to just stay at the Pokémon Center until the next day. I'm really not in the mood to camp out right now; it's rather chilly." He pulled out his map and stared at it. "Ah. Okay...the closest gym here is in Dellesse Village. I wonder what kind of badge that they give out?"  
  
"Huh?" Jordan took the map and looked; Matt pointed to what he was looking at. "Hmm, this must be an updated map; I never heard of this gym when I was training. I wonder if the gym there is classified as official; unless it's a trainer gym like A.J.'s."  
  
"Why don't we just go there anyway?" Lizzie asked. "We'd probably have to pass through there anyway to go to the next Pokémon gym, right?"  
  
"That's true. But since it's not that far off, we could spend the rest of the day training," Matt said. "We need to keep exploring. My Bulbasaur and Pikachu are going to have to start getting some fighting experience sooner or later..."  
  
Jordan nodded. "That's true. Come. According to the map, we need to head east. Let's pick up some supplies at the Pokémon Mart then get going that way."  
  
Matt, Lizzie, and Squirtle agreed. They all went to a rather small Pokémon Shop and picked up some Pokéballs, Potions, Antidotes, and on sale for just that particular day a couple pieces of Rare Candy. Afterwards, they were on their way.  
  
"Are you sure that we should have grabbed some of that Rare Candy?" Matt asked. "I mean, isn't that a little bit expensive for just...candy?"  
  
"It increases the abilities of a Pokémon, so it's kind of like they've had some battle experience." Jordan said. "It's not really a lot, but it's better than nothing. How about giving one to your Pikachu, Charmeleon and Bulbasaur?"  
  
"But you only bought four of them," Matt said. "I don't want to use them up, since you spent your money on them."  
  
"Do it anyway, it's not that big of a deal..." Lizzie said.  
  
"All right..." He took out three Pokéballs containing Bulbasaur, Charmeleon and Pikachu and let them out. He then handed them each one Rare Candy. They each sniffed at them, unsure of what it was before eating them. Matt was expecting some sort of change, though nothing happened. Jordan explained that nothing should happen until much later when the candy is fully spread in the body; it takes several hours.  
  
"Let's see what I can do about those nasty bruises." Matt pulled out a potion and kneeled down in front of Charmeleon. "This may hurt a little bit, but you'll feel better in about a day or so." Matt sprayed some of the potion on Charmeleon, and some of its cuts and bruises automatically vanished, while the larger bruises remained.  
  
Matt them walked over to Bulbasaur and did the same thing. "Feel better now?"   
  
"Saur, saur," Bulbasaur replied with a small grin on its face.  
  
Matt then walked over to the baby Pikachu. "Now, this may hurt a bit; try not to move, okay?" Matt sprayed a little bit of the potion on the Pikachu's leg. Pikachu squirmed a little bit, then it let out a small bolt of electricity directly at Matt.  
  
"Matt!" Lizzie and Jordan yelled out at the same time.  
  
Matt fell to the ground flat on his back as a short spasm ran through his body. He then got up to his feet and laughed. "Sheesh, that Pikachu sure has some spunk. Don't move or shock me this time. This will only hurt for a second." This time, Matt was able to do it with success. The scar on Pikachu started to fade slowly, but not entirely.  
  
"Wow, these Pokémon Remedies are really improving!" Jordan said. "I was just given a bottle of water when I was training..."  
  
Matt returned all of his Pokémon back inside their Pokéballs. "You know, if removing these bruises and scratches was so simple to do with the medicine we bought, why couldn't they do it at the Pokémon Center? Didn't they try or something? Very strange."  
  
Lizzie shrugged. "Maybe it's not in their contracts or whatever, let's just get moving, shall we?"  
  
Matt and Jordan nodded. Matt picked up his Squirtle and everyone began to walk near the exit of the city, to a long dirt path, which is to lead them to Dellesse Village.  
  
"Hey, what's that?" Lizzie pointed to the distant sky.  
  
Matt and Jordan both looked.  
  
Matt gasped. "It's a funnel cloud! Come, we need to find shelter, quickly, before it touches down!"  
  
Jordan shook his head. "It might not be anything..."  
  
"It's getting awfully windy, not to mention the sudden increase in humidity," Lizzie added.  
  
"I think it's going to touch down soon. We need to find the nearest Pokémon Center..." Matt said.  
  
"Vermillion City is too far back. We need to get to Dellesse Village!" Lizzie said.  
  
"It's nothing, guys, come on," Jordan said, trying to calm Lizzie and Matt down. "Look, animals can usually tell, Pokémon too, and Squirtle doesn't seem to be getting in a fritz."  
  
The three begin to run on the path that is supposedly to lead them to Dellesse Village. On the way, they see several Pokémon on the way. Matt and Lizzie each captured themselves a Sandshrew, an Ekans, and a Rattata. An extra three to add to their collection, although neither of them is certain whether they'll be used in battle or not. Jordan bragged about how he already captured them years back. Matt groaned in response.  
  
After an hour's worth of walking, they finally reach the entrance to Dellesse Villiage.  
  
"Okay, Dellesse Village should be right over there!" Matt said. He was right. He saw several houses and some small conveniant stores. "Wow, this looks really nice! You can't get lost in THIS place! There should be a gym here; come on let's look!"  
  
"We can't just look around! We have to get inside! That tornado is..." Lizzie hesitated, before finishing: "...going to touch down. Where's the funnel cloud?"  
  
"See? I told you it was nothing! Must have been just some strange cloud. Other than that, like I said, Squirtle--or Zenigame wasn't panicking, so there really was no big deal for panic." Jordan took in a deep breath. "But regardless, we're here."  
  
"Ugh..." Matt muttered. "All of that running for nothing. Thank God nothing happened. Come on, let's go explore the villiage."  
  
"Can we take a break at a bench? All we've been doing is just walk, walk, run, walk without a trace of stopping," Lizzie complained.  
  
"Okay, fine. We'll take a break. But I feel like looking around, I need to buy some more accessories. There are some things I want to look at." Matt took out his wallet. He then picked up his Squirtle. "Zenigame and I shouldn't be too long." Matt then left for one of the Pokémon Marts.  
  
"We stopped at a mart before we left Vermillion," Lizzie commented, sitting on a nearby bench. "I wonder why he's going to another one."  
  
"Well, he said accessories, so that could mean anything. But there are some magazine shops; maybe he meant to go in there. The place we were in in Vermillion didn't have any magazines or trainer's guides or anything like that like they normally do." Jordan sat down beside her.  
  
"That's true...hey, you never really told us much about yourself. You've been a Pokémon trainer for seven years, I think you said. Tell me about it."  
  
"Well...I don't know if I should. I wouldn't mind telling you of course, if you're willing to sit and listen to the whole thing," Jordan said.  
  
Lizzie nodded. "I'll hang onto your every word..."  
  
"Okay..." Jordan took a teep breath. "Well, I started when I was thirteen. It was rather illegal at the time, because you technically couldn't start until you were ninteen until recently. Since all of my brothers and sisters were already gone, I decided to be extremely competitive. I would train hard, with every single Pokémon of mine I would make strong, then eventually evolve. The one I started with was a Charmander. I made him the strongest of all, letting him fight nearly all the time.  
  
"Because of my age, I couldn't enter the Pokémon League for a long time, but two years ago I finally got in after the eight badges I gained. It took me a long time, but it was worth it. Interestingly enough when I was finally the proper age, I thought I would get in trouble because of all the Pokémon I had already registered. Of course I had to lie, so I said that most of them were gifts. Fortunately it worked. At first I was really nervous if there was anyone as strong as I was and if all of this hard training would really pay off. I was victorious in beating every trainer that everyone had to take precaution of me by spending extra time training their Pokémon just to face me. It was somewhat flattering.  
  
"After finishing first two years ago, it was finally time for me to challenge the Elite Four. And I would have to say that if I didn't train as hard, I wouldn't have lasted very long. The battles were really long, and really tough. I managed the first two, but the last two were the hardest. I managed to barely defeat them, and before long, I became a Pokémon Master. Five years just for that."  
  
"Anything after that?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Well, I was a Pokémon Master for only two years, which if you ask me isn't very long, but surprisingly enough, the trainers started getting better. I was appointed as the top of the Elite Four after the strange disappearance of one of them. I think his name was Last. But anyway, these new trainers blew past the first three, but when they came to me, they quickly went down. I'm not saying that just to brag or anything, this is the truth. Of course, the league officials -- bastards -- thought that I was 'too good' and just because these trainers fell quickly in front of me, they didn't like that. However, just recently, this one woman, Lilaine busted through and took me down in a hard battle. Since she was the new Pokémon Master I was forced out. It was peculiar, because she showed up with all crystal badges, and just challenged us. Of course, we had to accept.  
  
"Right after my defeat, the league officials came to me and pretty much told me to leave, which didn't make much sense. Of course it was upsetting; I was actually quite ticked off. It was almost like they gave this woman all of those crystal badges, and immensely rare, extremely strong Pokémon. Now she's even stronger than me, and what will they do once they get tired of this woman? It's peculiar.  
  
"Basically, now I'm just travelling looking for new leagues to participate in," Jordan said. He then sighed. "Whoo...that was basically the entire story."  
  
"Oh,then we're interfering with you by having you travel with us," Lizzie replied.  
  
Jordan shook his head. "No, no, not at all. I really don't mind. Basically I was just wandering around here, so it's mostly my fault. It was just my decision on a whim; I don't really need to go to other gyms. Personally, I'll just accompany you to Cinnibar Island so I can find a ship to take me back home, to Mason Town."  
  
"So you'll be leaving?" Lizzie said.  
  
"Oh, not for a while. You see, you two both have a lot of Pokémon to catch, and more badges to get. So seriously, once we get to Cinnibar, I'll be leaving," Jordan explained. "After I get home, I might be going to the league that's all the way out in the Chloral Continent, but I'm still not exactly sure. I don't have to make a decision right away, but regardless, once I get to Cinnibar, that'll be it.."  
  
"I see..." Lizzie said, rather disappointed. To her, it's not every day that a former Elite Four member and Pokémon Master appears to travel with new and basic trainers. The thought of Jordan's departure saddened her.  
  
Lizzie and Jordan now were silent. Lizzie leaned forward, resting her head into cupped hands, whose elbows were on her knees. She looked to her right, watching Matt look though a bag full of accessories. Behind him was Squirtle, walking directly behind them. Matt approached them and placed the bag down on a small empty space on the bench.  
  
"Yikes, I'm almost out of money...."  
  
"What did you buy?" Lizzie asked. "We had already purchased what we needed back in Vermillion.  
  
"I know, but I've been seeing advertisements for some kind of new Pokéball everywhere, but I haven't actually been able to find it until now. Here, have a look." Out of the bag, he took out a minimized Pokéball and displayed it to everyone with his hand open. The Pokéball orginally is half red, half white, with the button to enlarge the ball in the center. However, the Greatball was made of a material much more durable than a Pokéball, and is less likely to break. The top half was also blue, instead of red. Because of the durability, Pokémon captures are now easier to make.  
  
"What is that?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"This is a Greatball. It's stronger than Pokéballs and can capture Pokémon a little bit easier. They cost a little bit more, because of the material I think. This thing's a little bit heavier than a regular Pokéball. Oh, and I brought this, too." Matt put the Greatball back inside the bag, and pulled out a tent.  
  
"What's that for?" Jordan asked. "We're not camping out tonight, are we?"  
  
"There isn't enough to afford a Pokémon Center, so we'll have to sleep outdoors," Matt replied. "And this is enough to fit at least five people in it. Good price, too." Putting down the tent, he picked up Squirtle and placed him beside the bag on the bench.  
  
Jordan looked around. "Well, should we at least look for the Pokémon gym, then?" A thought then occured to him, as if a light bulb suddenly flickered on inside his head. "Whoa, wait a second, if there's no Pokémon Center, then how will our Pokémon be healed?"  
  
"Oh! I nearly forgot. Since the Pokémon Center - or as they called it, the shelter didn't have any curative items or machines or anything, the store offered me some Super Potions and Ether for our Pokémon for half the price," Matt said, looking in the bag again. "Okay, we'll goscheck out the gym, then we'll go to that little restaurant over there for dinner."  
  
Lizzie and Jordan nodded in agreement. They both got up and stretched; Matt placed the shopping back in his backpack as Squirtle leaped off of the bench. They then searched through the small villages. Many of the buildings were made from the wood used by the trees; most of it was mostly a big, wide open space. They found restaurants, some houses and other buildings, but no Pokémon gym could be found.  
  
"Okay, are you sure that this is Dellesse Village?" Lizzie asked. She then took out Matt's map and looked at it. "What the...the gym isn't even indicated here!" She turned it over, reading an information chart. "'Cities, Towns and Villages with Gyms: Dellesse'. Is this gym hidden?"  
  
"If it's a hidden gym, why is it indicated on the map?" Matt asked. "Then again, it could be a trainer gym."  
  
"That's what I said earlier!" Jordan shouted.  
  
"Oh...right. Well, anyway, let's eat," Matt offered. He then pointed to a restaurant nearby. "Unfortunately, I'm pretty much out of money."  
  
Lizzie let out an aggrivated sigh. "Okay, I'll pay...but only for this time!"  
  
"That's not going to be enough," Matt commented, before looking at Jordan. "Sorry, but could you pay again? I swear once I get some more money I'll pay you back."  
  
"Okay, fine. But don't start making a habit out of this; I'm not very rich," Jordan ripped out his wallet from a back pocket of his pants and counted his money.  
  
Matt gazed at all the large numbered bills Jordan took out. Twenties, fifties, hundreds. "Not very rich? How much money exactly are you holding in that thing?"  
  
Jordan growled. "Will you keep it down?!" he whispered harshly. "This place better have some good stews or soups, or whatever. I suddenly had this craving come over me."  
  
Matt nodded. "Me too..."  
  
"You had soup as part of your lunch!" Lizzie said. Matt shrugged. "But I'm not really too, too hungry. Just a simple hot dog will be fine for me."  
  
Squirtle tugged on Matt's pantlegs, looking up at him.  
  
"I think Zenigame wants something, too. Perhaps we could purchase something for him."  
  
"Hey, I'm NOT made of money you know!" Jordan said.  
  
"Could have fooled me!" Lizzie said. She began to laugh as Jordan glared at her. "Hey, lighten up, it was just a joke! Joke, as in funny, as in 'ha ha ha'? Oh forget it, you have no sense of humour."  
  
Matt picked up Squirtle as everybody began to walk to the restaurant for a meal. Both Jordan and Matt ordered a bowl of Chicken noodle soup, Lizzie ordered a Jumbo Hot Dog, and Squirtle was able to enjoy a full course meal of green vegetables.  
  
Jordan looked out the window. "If they have the trainer gym listed on the map, why can't we find it?"  
  
Matt put down his spoon and looked at Jordan. "It has to be here. More parts of this village could be in other parts of the forest, because on my map it shows them all broken up."  
  
There was then a loud burp right next to Matt. To everybody's surprise, they looked in that direction. Squirtle's plate was completely empty, as everything around them was suddenly silent as if others heard the loud noise as well.  
  
"That's the last time I bring YOU out to eat in public," Matt commented, returning to his soup.  
  
Squirtle covered his mouth and blushed.  
  
"Oh geez, what do you expect from Pokémon?" Lizzie muttere, taking a large bite out of her hot dog. "Let's just have a peaceful dinner." Lizzie put down her hot dog and took a sip from her drink.  
  
As the rest of the group finish their meal, Jordan reluctantly paid. They then returned outdoors when the sky became a little bit clearer, and the sun's face was shown for the first time that day.  
  
"That's typical. We freak out after seeing a funnel cloud, and now suddenly it's clearing out," Matt said. As he lowered his head, Matt noticed a large sign, which drew his complete attention. "Hey, look at this! A little Tournament!" He picked up Squirtle and began walking quickly towards it. Jordan and Lizzie followed. Matt then walked over to a sign-up sheet with a man standing beside it. "When does this tournament begin?" he asked.  
  
"Two days after we get eight people competing. We only have four right now. If all of you three kids sign up, there will be seven," the man handed Matt a pen.  
  
"Great! Let's all take a little break from training and go through this little competition!" Lizzie said. "Jordan, why don't you join in too?"  
  
Jordan shook his head. "I can't do that. Not with my background. I don't think I'd be permitted."  
  
Matt finished signing his name, and looked back up at Jordan. "Aw, come on, it'll be fun!" He then turned back to the man sitting behind the desk. "What's the grand prize?"  
  
The man took out a poster and unfolded it on top of the desk. "A Golden Pokéball."  
  
"Whoa! Coming through!" Jordan shoved Matt aside, pushed the poster aside and signed his name. Afterwards, Lizzie also signed up.  
  
"With the three of us entering, hopefully one of us will win that prize!" Lizzie said.  
  
"Come on now, who just entered the tournament along with you? Yeah, that's what I thought," Jordan replied.  
  
"You can't enter with all of those Pokémon," Matt said. "I mean, if you suddenly blasted through every competitor at the tournament, don't you think the league officials might not like that?"  
  
"Oh, who cares what the league officials think--hey, wait a minute, how do you know about that?" Jordan asked.  
  
"I picked up bits and pieces of your story. Quite interesting, actually. Come on, let's go prepare!"  
  
The three began to train for the competition, by going out in the forested area of Dellesse, in which wild Pokémon could be found. They checked every day wondering if the eigth person had signed up for the tournament, but no positive news was heard until their third day at Dellesse, when the list was full, plus a few more people.  
  
Matt's first complete competition, and it happens to be a small tournament in a small village. Matt is anxious; he cannot wait.  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	13. Intensified Training

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 13: Intensified Training  
  
  
  
"That trophy's as good as mine," Jordan said.  
  
"Will you shut up about that?" Matt said. "How do you know you'll win that thing; I mean I've only seen your Pokémon ONCE since you started traveling with us, and, well we all know what happened then, didn't we?"  
  
"It doesn't matter. My Charizard wouldn't have to do any work for more than a year, and he could still kick all of your butts if he's thrown into battle right away!" Jordan said, chuckling.  
  
"You know, I'm getting REALLY tired of you putting us down!" Lizzie said. "Saying stuff like that REALLY lowers my confidence level, ya know?!" Lizzie angrily walks away.  
  
"Lizzie, do the villagers a favour and don't kick any trees," Matt said. He then looked at Jordan. "As for you, if you really don't want to be noticed in such a large, public area, I really don't recommend you use the Pokémon which you won against the Elite Four." Matt picked up Squirtle and began to dash after Lizzie.  
  
"Oh come on, I was only teasing!" Jordan yelled.  
  
"Then SOUND like it next time!" Matt shouted, still running after Lizzie.  
  
Jordan let out a grunt, kicking a nearby rock. "Oh, come on now, did you really think I was going to be so cheap as to use those Pokémon? I'm up for new challenges; I can use other Pokémon I've captured." Shaking his head, he walked inside a shelter -- which partially resembles a small Pokémon Center -- and sat down, reading a magazine.  
  
Lizzie was walking in the other parts of the villiage, as Matt was following her behind in close persuit.  
  
"Lizzie, please wait!" Matt called.  
  
Lizzie turned around. "Are you here to ask me to be easier on Jordan? Well if you are, I don't want to hear it." Lizzie turned back around and continued to walk. Matt caught up with her and walked directly beside her.  
  
"It's not that, at all. I just wanted to know where you were headed, that's all."  
  
Lizzie stopped dead in her tracks and stared into Matt with deep, heavy, angry eyes. She sighed heavily and then took a deep breath, continuing to stare at Matt. "I DON'T need protection you know. I'm pretty capable for taking care of myself!"  
  
"What the hell?!" Matt shouted. "I'm not here because I'm worried about you. Look, what Jordan said didn't particularly please me either, but that doesn't mean that--"  
  
"Just leave me alone. I don't want to be around anybody for the time being..." she sharply said, walking off in the distance.  
  
"Women!" Matt muttered, turning around, walking in the opposite direction of Lizzie. "Why did I have to pick such traveling companions."  
  
"Squirtle?!" Squirtle asked, trying to keep up with Matt's pace.  
  
Matt looked at him. "Oh, I wish I could understand what you were saying." He then remembered a building near the shelter. "There's a library here; I'll study the Squirtle language! Lizzie's book won't do; it just shows the other languages that a Squirtle can speak."  
  
Matt then left the forested area of the city and went into a small library. It was small, but not too small. There were still plenty of shelves packed with very useful books: trainers guides, Pokémon guides, along with other books. In the communication department, Matt pulled out a book, entirely on the communication with a Squirtle. In a study carrel, he placed Squirtle on top of it and looked through the book. There were at least fifteen detailed pages of what just the word 'Squirtle' can be and how it's pronounced with the tone of its voice.  
  
Matt looked at it for half an hour and shook his head in amazement and disappointment at the same time. "This could take some time..." He then flipped towards the grammar and sentence structure, which was more than triple the amount of pages for the pronounciation section. "This is far too much." Matt then closed the book and picked Squirtle up to return the book.  
  
"Squirtle-squirt?" Squirtle asked.  
  
"Hmm..." Matt thought hard to what Squirtle had asked. "Okay, the way the 'Squir' was pronounced had to be was definitely a question, but I can't remember that much at all. Maybe I was supposed to take Jordan's 'joking' with good humour." Matt sighed. He then looked at his watch. "It's getting pretty late, maybe we should go into the woods to try and get more Pokémon?" Matt suggested.  
  
Squirtle nodded in agreement. "Squirt squirtle squirtle," he said in reply.  
  
"All of the 'good' Pokémon come out at night. Plus, it would be good for my Pokémon to get some more fighting experience." He took out some of his Pokéballs. "It would be nice if I had that baby Pikachu of mine to learn how to defend itself anyway." He sighed. "Oh well, come on Zenigame, let's go into the woods. We need to strengthen ourselves up before the tournament!"  
  
Matt and Squirtle exited the library and walked into a heavily forested area nearby. In his pocket, Matt placed some minimized, empty Pokéballs along with an empty Greatball just in case. There was a rustle in a nearby bush. Matt with Squirtle now on his shoulder slowly crept up and looked behind it. There was a Caterpie there.  
  
Matt backed up and enlarged an empty Pokéball. "This is the easiest to capture." Matt threw the Pokéball on top of the Caterpie, containing it inside. A few seconds later, the Caterpie broke free of the Pokéball, as Matt scrambled to catch it. Fortunately, the Pokéball wasn't broken. "Hey! That's not fair! Zenigame, tackle it!"  
  
"Squirtle!" Squirtle leaped off of Matt's shoulder and attempted to jump on top of the Caterpie. In its defense, Caterpie leaped to the side and fired a thin, sticky lair of string all around Squirtle. Matt was surprised.  
  
"This isn't good, I've never heard of a strong Caterpie before..." Matt called back Squirtle beside him and threw another Pokéball onto the field. "Pikachu, your turn!"  
  
"Pika pika!" Pikachu squeaked upon its entrance to the battlefield. Most of its wounds have nearly vanished, which was a rather big surprise to Matt. Squirtle slowly managed to make his way back next to Matt.  
  
"Pikachu, Thundershock!" Matt commanded.  
  
The small Pikachu quickly ran into the battlefield and unleashed a small electic attack on the bug Pokémon. While the Caterpie was having short spasms, Matt quickly tossed his empty Pokéball again as Caterpie was once again contained inside. This time, it was caught. The Pokéball then vanished, returning to Professor Oak's laboratory.  
  
"Good work, Pikachu! Stay out for a while, I need to keep training you." He then walked over to Squirtle and helped him pull off the sticky substance fired by the Caterpie. "You okay now?" Matt asked. Squirtle nodded, however still somewhat uncomfortable with the remaining stickiness on its body.  
  
"Okay, let's try to find some more Pokémon," Matt, Squirtle, and Pikachu looked around in the forested area some more.  
  
* * *  
  
Much later that evening, Matt returned to the village, with a pleasent grin on his face. He had managed to increase his Pokémon collection by a fair amount, and during that time, his Pokémon's battle experience have increased a bit. Matt checked his bag. "Not good, only a few empty Pokéballs. I won't buy anymore until I've earned some more money. Anyway, let's go to the shelter to find our camping spot."  
  
When Matt entered, there were Lizzie and Jordan inside, sitting on chairs.  
  
"Hey guys!" Matt said.  
  
"Matt! Where the hell were you?! I was so worried!" Lizzie said.  
  
"Worried?" Jordan teased. "Do you have a crush on Matt?"  
  
"Oh, shut up!" Lizzie smacked Jordan over the head. She then looked at Matt who was now laughing. "Hey, what's so funny?"  
  
"Oh..." Matt had a hard time explaining, for he was trying to prevent laughter while explaining to Lizzie. "Just...your reaction...oh, that's priceless." Matt laughed some more, and Squirtle began to laugh. After a while, he stopped and took a deep breath. "Okay, okay...I'm okay. why were you worried? I went training, and managed to capture some more Pokémon."  
  
"Interesting. What did you find??" Jordan asked.  
  
"A Caterpie, a Weedle, and surprisingly a Staryu." Matt said. "There was a small lake nearby, and I had no idea that water Pokémon would just hang around there."  
  
"They got some more people to sign up for the tournament. So we only have one more day to train for it. Let's get some rest." Jordan said. "And I'm sorry about my comments to you earlier. I realized what I had said, and I hope that I didn't lower your confidence, and self-esteem."  
  
"Don't worry about it, we all make mistakes," Matt smirked.  
  
"Don't worry, I wouldn't really use my Charizard. I'll keep him with me in case trouble comes around, but other than that, I have some other Pokémon I've captured that I haven't even used yet," Jordan said.  
  
"Good. Now, have you decided on a spot?"  
  
"Yup. I found the perfect place."  
  
Jordan, Matt, and Lizzie removed their previously purchased sleeping bags and tent recently purchased from their backpacks. Outside of the shelter, Jordan pointed out to the exact spot where he wanted the tent to be set up. Matt liked the spot; it was really close to the forest, and still close to the shelter. They managed to up the tent in just a few minutes, as, without changing clothing, they went to sleep, inside the tent.  
  
Hmm...Matt thought to himself, having some trouble sleeping again. I shouldn't get too nervous thinking about the tournament; I'll lose a lot of sleep over it and I'll pay for it sometime tomorrow. Hett yawned, as he and Squirtle wrapped themselves up in the sleeping bag and tried to go to sleep.   
  
About an hour later, Matt was about to finally fall asleep when he heard whispers outside.  
  
"So many trainers here..." somebody whispered. "I bet they're all dirty, too; look! They have to sleep in tents!"  
  
"I wonder if they have a lot of valuable Pokémon with them..." somebody else whispered.  
  
"Ouch!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Will you watch where you're going?! You keep stepping on my feet; look, my boots are covered entirely in mud stains that you can barely tell what brand they are!" a voice shouted aloud. Matt recognized it as Zach.  
  
"Oh, come now, I--" Cloë started, but stopped when she realized she was being too loud. "Come, let's do some browsing."  
  
Matt gently shook Squirtle awake. "Team Rocket's here," he whispered; "let's go, Jordan and Lizzie need their rest." The two slowly crept up and slowly exited their tent. Matt looked right and saw Cloë and Zach going into seperate tents.  
  
"HEY!" Matt yelled loudly, startling Team Rocket, and waking some people up in the process. "What do you two think you're doing?!"  
  
"Squirtle!" Squirtle yelled.  
  
Cloë quickly turned around. "Oh, fantastic; it's just HIM again. I'm getting tired of meeting each other all the time. So, I'm going to use a little weapon that will surely put you in your place, you little rat."  
  
Zach was chased out of one tent by some female trainers who were kicking him out and screaming: "Thief, thief!"  
  
From inside the nearby shelter, a Nurse Joy appeared through the emergency exit. "Team Rocket!" She quickly ran and pressed the silent alarm inside.  
  
"So, you want to battle?" Zach said, as trainers whose sleep was disturbed came out of their tents, wondering what was occuring. Others just tried to go back to sleep, and others weren't awake at all. "We have finally discovered a way with which we will use to put you and your stinking friends in your place!"  
  
"Zach, would you do the honours?" Cloë asked.  
  
Oh, but I couldn't; I did it last time," Zach insisted.  
  
"Well, if you insist." Cloë from her pocket pulled out a minimized Greatball. She then enlarged it and threw it up into the sky. "Greatball, go!" Springing open in the air, a large blue bird-like Pokémon sprung forth. Matt had never seen such a creature before with his very own eyes. He had read stories and legends about these types of Pokémon, but never before has he witnessed one for himself. Soaring in the sky was an Articuno, a bird with vast, wide-spreading wings; a large, grey beak, capable of splitting open the toughest stones; a long, silky tail; two large, glaring red, intimidating eyes; and three very thick, very tall feathers springing out from the top of its head. Matt gasped.  
  
"A Legendary Bird! Where on earth did you steal THAT from?!"  
  
Zach pretended to choke on Matt's words. "Such insensitivity! Because we are honourable members of Team Rocket does not necessarily indicate that this Pokémon was stolen! This Pokémon was flying wildly near the building of Silph Co. in the outskirts of Saffron City. This marvelous creature was given to us, as a gift from the great Giovanni himself. I sincerely believe that if there is one way out of which we'll gain respect, it's from this very bird here!"  
  
"A Legendary Bird..." Matt took out a Pokéball. "This is just perfect," he muttered sarcastically.  
  
Jordan and Lizzie suddenly came out of their tent, looking around. They originally ignored the noises which occured outside, however when Lizzie looked next to her and saw that both Matt and Squirtle were not in their sleeping bag, she and Jordan went outside to look.  
  
"Matt, what's going on?!" Lizzie yelled. "I didn't know Team Rocket was here!"  
  
"None of you would have either if I wasn't being so loud." Matt threw the enlarged Pokéball onto the nearby grassy area. Charmeleon appeared.  
  
"Against a Legendary Bird? Matt, maybe you should let my Charizard handle this," Jordan said.  
  
"I'm plenty capable of handling Team Rocket!" Matt said. "These idiots have followed me long enough, and I want to take care of them once and for all!"  
  
The increased level of volume was unable to keep the other trainers asleep for very long. One by one, the tents emptied, pointing and staring in awe at the Articuno flying above. Some loud chatter began to take place, as they noticed Team Rocket.  
  
"Articuno, Ice Beam!" Cloë yelled.  
  
"Charmeleon, Fire Spin!" Matt commanded.  
  
People in the crowd began to yell what Matt should use as an attack and began to cheer him on. Charging from the Articuno's beak, the Articuno launched its head forward towards its target on the ground, while at the same time Charmeleon unleashed its attack from its mouth.  
  
"Fight, fight, fight!" the crowd began to chant.  
  
The fire attack used by Charmeleon managed to weave its way around the ice attack by the Articuno. At the last moment, Charmeleon jumped a side, rolling while the fire attack struck Articuno head on. In pain the bird shreaked, and Matt saw this as the perfect opportunity to strike.  
  
"Charmeleon, Slash Attack!" Matt yelled.  
  
"Char!" Charmeleon quickly jumped from its position on the ground and held its claw up high. When it reached the height of the Articuno it brought its claw down heavily, swiping directly across the large blue bird's face. Charmeleon landed, while Articuno continued to shreak in pain.  
  
"Articuno, Ice Beam! Aim for the tail!" Cloë growled.  
  
Quickly charging another beam in its mouth, the tip of Charmeleon's tail was Articuno's target, launching it directly at it. Charmeleon, uncertain of the attack, turned around and jumped in the nick of time. However, the attack grazed its foot, as it landed roughly on the hard, dirt ground below.  
  
"Get up, Charmeleon, warm up your foot a little!"  
  
"Ha! It's too slow; it's mine! Articuno!" Cloë shouted.  
  
"Stop this at once!" a voice shouted appearing next to the shelter. Nurse Joy pointed towards Team Rocket, with several other officers standing around her, including Officer Jenny. Jenny turned towards her officers. "Get them!"  
  
The officers chased the Rocket's as Cloë secretly pulled out a smoke bomb and held it behind her back. "It's funny how they always think they can catch me."  
  
Jordan, noticing the smoke bomb hiding between Cloë's fingers quickly dashed and struck it out of her hands. "No you don't!" The smoke bomb landed in one of the tents, exploding. Trainers who were still asleep suddenly awakened as they came out coughing and brushing away at the air with an empty hand.  
  
"Damn you!" Cloë shouted, and held up an empty palm, preparing to slap Jordan. However, her hand was caught by an officer behind her as it was forced behind her back. Her other hand was also forced behind her back as two clicking noises could be heard, which was the sound of the handcuffs. Zach, next to her was also cuffed, as both of them were being violently pushed into the back of a police car. The driver sat down into the driver's seat and drove away.  
  
"Thanks, guys," Officer Jenny said, "these guys were some of Team Rocket's best members; I'm glad you were able to handle them. They'll be behind bars for a while."  
  
"Return, Charmeleon." Matt absorbed Charmeleon back into his Pokéball. "Thanks officer, will Team Rocket still be on the loose?"  
  
"Well, we've managed to capture several of them just recently; new trainers these days aren't stupid, they're actually quite clever. They helped us in those captures as well. Well, I have to get back, I'm sure you all want to go back to sleep now. Sotake care." Jenny then left as the trainers who were rudely awakened returned to their tents. However, others were still outdoors chattering.  
  
"I could have done better; I would have taken that Articuno and make it pay," a kid muttered. "Did you see what he did out there? That was one of the sloppiest fights I've ever seen."  
  
Matt looked around. "That's right, where did it go?!"  
  
"Got it!" Jordan said, tossing and catching a Greatball repeatedly in his hand. "I put it back inside; here, you can have it if you want."  
  
"What, me? I couldn't take that!" Matt said. "You know, I remember Lizzie saying she needed a stronger Pokémon with her; why don't you give it to her?"  
  
"All right then," Jordan said, tossing the Greatball to Lizzie; "me, I prefer Moltres and Zapdos. Well, I'm tired, let's go to sleep." Jordan re-entered his tent, while Lizzie, now excited about her new Pokémon, followed.  
  
"I'll join you in a minute," Matt said, following the kid who commented on his performance. "Hey! Kid!"  
  
"Yeah, what do you want?" the kid replied, staring at Matt. The kid was short, very short according to Matt's 6'0" frame. He had dirty, blonde hair, which was thick and shaggy, with blaring green eyes. He was also wearing a baggy shirt, along with long, baggy jeans. His shoes could not be seen.  
  
"What right did you have to comment on my performance, anyway?" Matt asked.  
  
"Heh, I'm a better Pokémon trainer than you would ever be. I already caught 56, most of them rare." The kid crossed his arms.  
  
"What does that have to do with anything?" Matt asked. "How old are you, anyway?"  
  
"Ten," the kid replied, "I've been training since I was eight, because I was allowed. And look, I have two badges already! I bet you don't have any!"  
  
Matt tried not to laugh. "Two in two years?! I already have four, in only a week!"  
  
"Ha! I've been training my Pokémon, and making them really strong; I catch what I see. I can tell that you're entering the tournament tomorrow. I hope I face you, because I want to kick your butt and show to everyone what a crummy trainer you are." The kid stuck out his tongut, and then re-entered his tent.  
  
"That no good son of a--" Matt started.  
  
"Matt, come on, don't start arguments now!" Lizzie yelled.  
  
"Yeah, I'm coming."  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, the morning before the day of the tournament, Matt was not in the tent when everybody else was awake. Lizzie had awakened, as she looked around. Neither Matt nor Jordan was in the tent; she quickly stretched and exited, seeing Jordan right outside.  
  
"Hey, where's Matt?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"He was rather upset when he came back last night, and he told me he was leaving early to train his Pokémon," Jordan replied. "I have no idea how long he's been gone.  
  
Lizzie checked her watch; it was 8:30 and not many of the other trainers participating were awake yet. "Well, I guess he should train; I have to start going, too. Tell you what, how about we go training for about an hour and a half then come back here for something to eat?"  
  
Jordan nodded. "Yeah, let's just grab some fruit bars from the shelter and move out."  
  
* * *  
  
"Pokéball, go!" Matt threw an empty enlarged Pokéball, which captured the weakened Cubone inside upon striking it. There was little resistence, as the Pokéball stopped moving. "Nice! Our first capture of the day!" He checked his watch. "Yikes! We've been out here for nearly four hours; I should go back to camp. I'm getting hungry." Matt, with Squirtle, walked back through the woods to his tent nearby. He sighed in relief, for he thought that he was lost.  
  
Squirtle yawned.  
  
"Hmm?" Matt looked at Squirtle. "Zenigame, you look really tired. Don't worry, there won't be anymore training. You can relax for the rest of the day; you've worked hard." They entered the tent and sat down on the sleeping bag. Matt yawned. "Yeah, that's the price to pay for training."   
  
Matt whipped out a new magazine featuring new types of Pokéballs. The Greatball was mentioned in an article. It's contents read: 'The Pokéball XB20 with the abbreviation and preferably called a "Greatball" is the latest type of Pokéball available by Silph Co. It obtains twice the materialistic strength as a Pokéball, which proves useful for capturing Pokémon which are much more stubborn to capture. Starting price is 14.99 for one Greatball.'  
  
"Wow," Matt said, "that's expensive. I'm glad I only paid ten for one of them." He then put down the magazine, as he heard Lizzie and Jordan's voices. Lizzie opened the entrance to the tent and saw Matt lying down.  
  
"Matt, why did you leave so early?!" Lizzie exclaimed.  
  
"Training," Matt replied. "Why, were you worried about me again?"  
  
Jordan checked his watch. "Well, it's still rather early before we have lunch, so I'm going to go back out into the forest. You want to come with me?"  
  
"Nah, go ahead. I want to stay here for now," Lizzie said, nervously.  
  
"Ooh, you're going to give the flirting a try?" Jordan teased, he then laughed.  
  
"Shut up!" Lizzie kicked Jordan in the shin. Jordan, wobbling in pain, left the tent to train some more.  
  
Matt sat quietly, not commenting on Lizzie's violent action. He continued to flip through his magazine, checking for potentially interesting articles.  
  
"Hey, what's with the anti-social attitude suddenly?" Lizzie asked.  
  
Matt slowly turned his head towards Lizzie. "This is my quiet time," he replied quietly, "I rarely speak while I'm having time to myself." He turned a page.  
  
"Oh, do you want me to leave you alone?" Lizzie asked.  
  
Matt shook his head. "No, but Zenigame's a little tired, so I don't want to do much speaking."  
  
"He looks so cute when he's asleep."  
  
Matt turned another page. "Hey, a Trainer Tip column!" Matt read on.  
  
"So, ready for tomorrow's tournament?" Lizzie asked, trying to spark up some kind of conversation.  
  
Matt nodded. "Yeah, we've really did some hardcore training, we should be ready. I hope I face that little brat..."  
  
"Huh? Who?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"This little ten-year-old brat that commented on my performance against Team Rocket last night. He said that he could have done much better." Matt scoffed. "Then he goes on and on saying what a crummy trainer I am, and that he has more Pokémon than me, then goes and says he only has two gym badges while training illegally for two years."  
  
"Oh, come on. You're letting a little kid get you down? Why didn't you punch him in the face?"  
  
"I'm not going to punch a kid!" Matt shouted, pulling down his magazine, staring into Lizzie's face. "Besides, I'd rather deal with him in the tournament. Just hitting him would only make me look bad."  
  
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. You just seem like a tough guy to me. You should lighten up a little." Lizzie lay back on her sleeping bag and stretched.  
  
"Who says I'm too serious?" Matt asked, continuing to look at Lizzie. "I just don't take lightly to those who comment on my performance when in reality they couldn't do that much better." He pulled the magazine back up towards his face.  
  
"You seem to just compress anger, then let it out suddenly. But that's all right if you do it against Team Rocket, I don't like them that much either."  
  
After a few moments of silence, Matt spoke out again: "Well this isn't really related to the subject, but my birthday is next week."  
  
"Really?! How old will you be?" Lizzie asked, sitting up.  
  
"Sixteen."  
  
"Wow...." Lizzie replied, almost in complete guilt. "I should buy you something..."  
  
"No, don't. We need the money for supplies." Matt yawned, putting down the magazine. "Staying up late and getting up early to train has started to come back to haunt me. I think I'll just relax for the rest of the day."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	14. Tournament Battle

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 14: Tournament Battle  
  
  
  
Another long night passes by, as the sun rises for the next day. For this day was unlike every other day; this was the day of the big tournament being held in Dellesse Village. Though the sun had risen, the sky was filled with many clouds, as the temperature was not particularly warm, yet not very cold either. Matt was worried, for he feared that it could rain, which would delay the tournament further.  
  
Outside the tent were Lizzie and Jordan, as Matt had just joined him with Squirtle right beside him. Matt did a head count for the Pokémon trainers he could see. "Wow, there are twenty-four competitors here!"  
  
Lizzie shook her head. "No, Matt. Some people may just be tagging along, twenty-four is far too much for this tournament, although it would make it a little bit more interesting."  
  
Jordan nodded. "That's true. This should really be fun. We all trained hard, so let's all battle hard. And of course as Lizzie said earlier, hopefully one of us can get that prize!"  
  
"Second prize isn't that bad either!" Matt said, pointing to a large poster hanging from the shelter; others were hanging outside of the other buildings as well. "You can win five free Greatballs. That's still pretty cool!"  
  
"Oy, third prize is just a gift certificate at a Pokémon store," Lizzie said. "Sheesh, I seem to think that for once, first prize is worth it."  
  
"Okay!" a voice called out. Matt looked over to see what it was; there was a man speaking into a microphone on top of a podium. Other trainers gathered, while Matt, Lizzie and Jordan all dashed so they could see who was speaking. "The matches are all planned out. For those who lose in the first round, they will have a chance to redeem themselves in the Revitalization Round, or the 'Loser' Round, but we don't like to say that." The announcer took out certain a large sheet and placed it on top of the podium.  
  
"The first round matches will be: Andy verses Tyler, Jennifer verses Ken, Matt verses Eric, Dylan verses Bob, Rachel verses Jordan, Corey verses Lina, Stephanie verses Kaitlan and Lizzie verses Phil. Those are the matches, now here is Cody with the regulations."  
  
Cody from backstage took the microphone. "All right, I am here to perform certain rules that must all be followed if you are to succeed in this tournament. Number One: You may only choose four Pokémon to battle per match. During the entire tournament, you are only allowed to replace two fainted Pokémon, but this can only be done after a match. If you happen to lose four times in one match, you cannot use replacements; therefore the match is over. Those who lose in the first round may only use their two Pokémon to redeem themselves in the Revitalization Round. Those who pass are then allowed to the small shelter to have all of their Pokémon brought back to consciousness, since the machine which other Pokémon Centers use was recently installed this morning. Also, poor sportsmanship during a match will be decided to the opponent. Are there any questions?" Cody looked around. He saw a hand. "Yes, sir?"  
  
"So does that mean only those who lose in the first round will be able to fight in the Revitilization Match?" a boy asked.  
  
"Yes. I know it sounds strange and rather unfair, but really there isn't much to the Revitilization Match. Those involved will only battle for fourth place. It wins nothing, but it goes onto your Pokédex as how you placed, which can look good. Other than that, if you are defeated in second round of play and further, you will not be permitted to battle again." After seeing no questions, he then wished everybody luck and stepped down from the podium. The small crowd in front of it cleared out, as everyone went to their specified fields for their matches.  
  
"Well, good luck to both of you," Matt said. "We trained really hard, now let's get as far as possible."  
  
"Oh yes..." Cody shouted, jumping back on top of the podium, as the parting crowd was forced to return. "I would like to welcome Jordan of the Elite Four! Some of you may know him, but Jordan, please come see me right now."  
  
"Oh crap..." Jordan said.  
  
"That's not cool, you may not be allowed to fight!" Matt said.  
  
"It's all right, you two go to your fields and win for me, okay?" Jordan dashed towards Cody, as he was led into a nearby house. The crowd once again cleared.  
  
"Good luck!" Matt said.  
  
"You, too! You'd better win!" Lizzie replied, waving as she ran to find out in which field she would be battling. Matt then checked to see where he would be fighting and walked towards his portion of the field. All in all, Matt noticed that the fields were rather scrambled, and somewhat disorganized. He felt that he could very easily get lost if he wasn't careful.  
  
When Matt arrived, much to his surprise and disgust mixed bizarrly enough with delight and determination, the kid with whom he argued with two nights before was there, standing with his arms crossed. Matt groaned.  
  
"Oh great, don't tell me I'm facing YOU."  
  
The kid turned around and shot an angry look at Matt. "My name is Eric, you jerk!"  
  
"Your name isn't important to me; just don't go crying to your mother if you lose," Matt replied, knowing the kid wouldn't like that response.  
  
"Don't go killing people when YOU lose!" Eric stuck his tongue out.  
  
"Me? Kill people? That seems more like the thing YOU would do. What a stupid thing to say; you're such an idiot."  
  
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Eric exclaimed.  
  
Matt started to laugh; he found this sadistically amusing. "Sheesh, you have a short temper, you do."  
  
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Eric yelled.  
  
"Eric, that is very rude!" a femal voice shouted, as Matt looked towards her. She had long, brown hair, and she was wearing a short, white skirt, and a cyan blouse along with gold studded earings. She approached the two and looked at Eric. "Go over there until the match begins!" Eric hesitantly and grumpily walked away. She then turned her attention to Matt. "I'm really sorry; you see my mom made me go with him on his journey, and he's been a total brat since than. I saw what he did to you the other night, and no matter how many times I talk to him and scold him, he just doesn't stop. I don't know what I'm going to do with him."  
  
"That's all right, you shouldn't be in charge to take care of him," Matt said.  
  
"Do me a favour and beat him, will you? He hasn't lost since he started training, and he really needs a lesson that winning isn't everything," she replied.  
  
"That's no problem," Matt said.  
  
Approaching the opposite side of the field was a referee dressed in black shorts, a white hat, and a vertically striped black and white T-shirt. "All right, boys, take the side of the field. You will choose one Pokémon at random to start; you both throw them at the same time, got it? Please select four of your six Pokémon that you plan to use."  
  
Matt walked to his end of the field and selected three Pokéballs, while Eric dashed to his side of the field and did the same. "All right, Zenigame. I'll let you go second unless my first Pokémon gets knocked out," he whispered in Squirtle's ear, "so be ready." Matt shuffled the minimized Pokéballs in his hand and selected one and enlarged it.  
  
"On three. One, two, three, THROW!" the official waved his flag. Eric threw an enlarged Pokéball the same time as Matt did on the vast, grassy battlefield. A Poliwhirl appeared out of Eric's Pokéball, and Pikachu came out of Matt's.  
  
Eric gasped and began shouting to the referee: "He knew which Pokémon I was going to use! He's cheating!"  
  
"Don't be a whiner you little brat! I just got here!" Matt yelled.  
  
"CHEATER, CHEATER, CHEATER!" Eric complained.  
  
"Eric, be quiet and fight!" His sister yelled. "Life can't always be what you want; so just shut up and fight!"  
  
"Poliwhirl, Water Gun!" Eric yelled.  
  
"Pikachu, Agility!"  
  
The larger, evolved form of Poliwag suddenly released a large wave of water towards Matt's Pikachu, but his quick response allowed Pikachu to very quickly avoid the attack with ease.  
  
"STOP CHEATING! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THE BETTER TRAINER!" Eric was now in tears.  
  
"Young man!" the referee began, "stop your complaining or the match will be decided to your opponent!"  
  
"THAT'S CHEATING!" Eric yelled. "YOU'RE JUST SAYING THAT BECAUSE YOU WANT HIM TO WIN!"  
  
"Sound the bell!" the referee shouted, waving his flag. The judges, sitting in chairs next to the battlefield rang a loud bell. Other trainers from other fields staring at the sidelines watched in awe; for a match had already been completed. "Matt is the winner."  
  
"WHAT?! THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Eric started to sob louder and dropped to his kneed, pounding the ground. "CHEATER, CHEATER, CHEATER!"  
  
"That's it!" His older sister came and grabbed his younger brother violently in the arm, trying to force him to stand up. "I've just about had enough of your attitude! You deserved to lose; you'll never be a Pokémon Master that way!"  
  
"LET GO, LET GO, THE REF IS A CHEATER, A CHEATER!"  
  
Suddenly, Cody came over to the referee. "I heard screaming, what's going on?"  
  
Matt called Pikachu back in his Pokéball and walked over to Cody. "Well, first of all, the kid complained that I knew which Pokémon he was going to use, and--"  
  
"Did you?" Cody interrupted.  
  
"No! But anyway, his Poliwhirl does one attack, I have my Pikachu evade it, then he starts to complain. The official warned him to stop complaining or else the match would be over. The kid protested against it, and continued to argue, so I won."  
  
"Is this true?" Cody asked the official.  
  
The official nodded. "I warned him, but he wouldn't listen. So I decided to call the match to this gentleman here."  
  
Cody nodded. "Very well, you now advance to the second round. And you, Eric--"  
  
"Stand up, Eric, Cody's trying to speak to you!" His sister called out, continuing to get him to stand up. He eventually stood up and wiped the tears away from his eyes.  
  
"Now look," Cody began, "I explained the rules, and poor sportsmanship was one of them. You didn't go by the rule, so you got disqualified from the match. You are permitted to go to the Revitilization match, but just one complaint out of you, and you will be removed from the tournament, am I making myself clear?"  
  
Eric turned his head, his eyes never meeting Cody.  
  
"Eric! Answer him, now!" His sister ordered.  
  
"You're always bossing me around; you're always telling me what to do! I'm getting very sick of your bossiness, I HATE YOU!" Eric then ran away, starting to cry again.  
  
His sister let out an aggrivated sigh. "I'm so sorry," she began, "if I never came along with him at all, he would be much worse; he's really got a temper that's hard to control...."  
  
"Speak to him then," Cody said. "If he wants to continue, he is permitted to, otherwise, he will be removed from the tournament. And Matt, you're free to go until the next matches are decided."  
  
"All right," Matt said, "I'll go watch Lizzie or Jordan fight next." He checked a nearby poster to find out where Lizzie's next match was, and watched as they were just about to throw their Pokéballs onto the field to commence the battle.  
  
Suddenly, there was an announcement over the podium. "Hi everyone, this is Cody. The tournament will be delayed for twenty-five minutes due to a possible disqualification. You may rest during this period. There was much disappointment in the voice of the trainers everywhere, who were already in an intense battle situation.  
  
Lizzie shook her head, while Phil at the other end of the field shrugged. She then looked over and noticed Matt. "Hey there! How did you do? With the look on your face, you must have won. My you're fast!"  
  
"I won by decision. This little brat that I was facing really was a little brat; he hasn't lost many matches I can tell you that," Matt grinned. "Well, with this delay, we should try and find the gym here; I want to get another Crystal Badge."  
  
"Can we wait until AFTER the tournament?" Lizzie asked. "First of all we have to find the gym, and then wait in order to battle. I can't leave! You can though; you have at least an hour until the next matches begin."  
  
"Fine, I'm finished for now, so I'll go find it. Good luck!" Matt walked off with Squirtle. He set a timer on his watch, knowing that he had to return in fourty-five minutes if he couldn't find the gym. While walking around in the vast forested area around the gym, Matt noticed a building surrounded by trees. To his surprise, it was exactly like the other gym near Route 6.  
  
Matt checked his watch; he had plenty of time left, and he watched carefully where he was walking so he wouldn't lose his way returning to Dellesse. While examining the interiour of the gym, there was nobody inside. A few windows lit the room, barely. It was plain and dull; no carpets, no paintings, just a wall covered in wood, with wooden-manufactured tiles on the floor. Nobody was around.  
  
"Hello...?" Matt called out, continuing to look around, but found a door which lead to a long, even darker hall. At the end was a strange-looking picture.  
  
"What the...what kind of picture is this?" Matt examined the photo carefully. It was a photo of at least one hundred Pikachu, all of them with different emotions on their faces. "Something's bothering me about this." He looked around again to make sure that nobody was there, he then took the picture off the wall and found what looked to be a lightswitch. He made a face.   
  
"It makes me wonder if this photo was put here on purpose." He pressed the switch as suddenly, the building began to shake. "What is this?!" Matt quickly put the picture back and ran towards the entrance to the long hall. He stopped suddenly, noticing that the doorway was now impassible as what seemed to be a rising dirt wall filling the space.  
  
"What the...?! Are we going underground?!" Matt shouted.  
  
A few moments later, there was a loud crash, as Matt and Squirtle tumbled onto the floor. When Matt looked at the doorway, he noticed that he could now pass through it.  
  
"Let's go," Matt said, passing through the doorway. He saw a long hall with many torches on a brick wall. In a few minutes, Matt reached another door. He constantly looked at his watch, for he didn't want to be late for his next match. After a while, Matt calmed himself and opened the door. He saw what he thought was the gym leader, who was reading a book, sitting in a throne at one end of a wooden battlefield. Matt couldn't quite get a good look at the face, but he was wearing a red robe, with formal, shined shoes.  
  
The leader put his book down and looked at Matt. He was pale faced with glasses and a beard. "Well, there's something you don't see everyday: a Pokémon trainer stumbling upon this hidden gym. I assume you'll want to know the rules?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, please hurry; I'm going to compete in a tournament soon," Matt said.  
  
"No problem. We shall use three Pokémon. It will be a best-of-five, meaning that the first two reach three Pokémon victories is the victor. If you win, you shall receive the Red Crystal Badge."  
  
"Let's get started then..." Matt decided that the Pokémon currently with him will have to do, since the other Pokémon were waiting for him at the shelter in Dellesse.  
  
"Seadra, go!" The leader threw a Pokéball as a large, sea-horse like Pokémon appeared. It had large, blue thick scales, and very angry, determined eyes.  
  
Matt suddenly knew the best choice for this, since it was a water Pokémon on the field. "Pikachu, you're up!" He threw an enlarged Pokéball on the field, as Pikachu appeared.  
  
"Ha! Predictable at best. Seadra, Bubble!" the leader commanded.  
  
"Agility!" Matt quickly yelled.  
  
Like the battle with Eric, Matt quickly called out for a speed attack as soon as an offensive attack was ordered. After Seadra unleashed several sharp bubbles towards Pikachu, it quickly shifted to the side, and slid itself right behind Seadra.  
  
"Thunderbolt," Matt said calmly. Pikachu quickly shocked the Seadra, knocking it out cold. Since Seadra is a water-type, electric attacks become more effective against it. Matt had the advantage now.  
  
"Return," Seadra was absorbed back inside as the leader chose another Pokéball. "Geodude, go!" As the Pokéball opened, the same Pokémon that Brock used appeared on the field, though this one looked a little different, according to Matt.  
  
"Crud," Matt muttered under his breath, knowing that the leader now had a type-advantage on his side. He still knew that he must weaken it as much as he could, so Squirtle could finish it off.  
  
"Geodude, Rock Throw," the leader commanded.  
  
Dashing quickly outside the battlefield, Geodude launched several rocks towards Pikachu with quickness. Pikachu watched every rock coming towards it and jumped aside, dodging most of them. It was grazed by the last one, but it slowly got back up to its feet.  
  
"This may not work to well, but, Quick Attack!" Matt yelled.  
  
Quickly acknowledging the command, Pikachu very quickly stepped off of its feet and struck Geodude roughly. However, since Geodude's body is literally rock-hard, the physical attack did little damage.  
  
"Tackle!" the leader yelled.  
  
Geodude clasped Pikachu tightly within its large, rocky hands and crushed it hard into the gym floor. Matt decided to call Pikachu back, for he needed Pikachu for the tournament. They were tied with one victory a piece.  
  
"Go, Zenigame!" Matt said, Squirtle jumps into the battle field.  
  
"I knew this might happen, so it's pretty obvious of the outcome." The leader called back Geodude, now giving Matt a two to one advantage, to his surprise. He then threw out another Pokéball, as a skinny Pokémon with roots as its legs, leaves as its arms, a strange looking flower and flopping eyes appeared.  
  
"A Bellsprout, eh? Zenigame, Bite!" Matt said quickly.   
  
Squirtle wasted no time; he dashed towards his opponent, sinking his deeth deeply into Bellsprout's head, injuring it greatly. Bellsprout then fell on its knees, almost as if it was begging for mercy. The leader had called it back inside its Pokéball.  
  
Matt was slightly disappointed with the outcome, although he had won. "This was a bit easy," he muttered. "But a win's a win I guess. I have five badges now; all I need are three more."  
  
"Wow," the leader said, somewhat dumbfounded. "This is honestly the first time I have ever been beaten as long as I've been the gym leader here. Your Pokémon's strength seemed to surpass mine today."  
  
That's right! Matt thought. I had trained my Pokémon really hard for this match, so they must have gotten much stonger and had complete advantage over the gym leader here!  
  
"Take the badge; you did very well. The Red Crystal Badge belongs to you." Matt received a badge which had a design that was very similar to Blue Crystal Badge, except it was red, hence its name..  
  
"Let's go, we have to finish the tournament!" Matt then quickly ran out of the gym with Squirtle in his hands and into the building. He pressed the secret switch again as the building rose to ground level in the forest. As Matt exited the building, other trainers noticed the building and entered it. Matt wished good luck to them.  
  
"I was wrong to say how easy it was, I was just advanced." He looked at his watch. "We still have some time left; come on Zenigame, let's go watch the other battles!"  
  
"Squirtle!" Squirtle replied.  
  
Matt found Cody and asked for an update of the situation. The tournament had just recently begun once again after the twenty-five minute delay. Matt and Squirtle ran over to Lizzie's corner, for she was about to do battle. It lasted about ten minutes, for Lizzie won with using just her Vulpix. Matt was rather excited as Jordan came to them and told both Matt and Lizzie that he won as well, using his recently evolved Poliwhirl and Sandshrew.  
  
"Wow! All three of us advanced! But we may have to face each other!" Lizzie said. "Oh, and weren't you going to find the gym here?"  
  
Matt took out the Red Crystal Badge. "It wasn't a trainer gym after all; I didn't have much of a difficult time finding it. I'll show it to you later, if I remember to."  
  
"Well, we have at least a twenty minute break, why don't we get some lunch?" Jordan asked.  
  
"Good idea, I'm getting rather hungry," Matt replied, clenching his growling stomach.  
  
Matt, LIzzie, Jordan and Squirtle returned to the restaurant where they had been eating the past several days. Matt ordered a large cheesburger, Lizzie ordered a club sandwich, but Jordan only ordered a milkshake.  
  
"So, how hard is the gym leader?" Jordan asked, sipping his drink.  
  
"I've been training really hard for the past little while, so I found it rather easy. The only sequence I lost was because I had to call Pikachu back. I didn't want to risk him being knocked out; I need PIkachu." He then checked his watch. "Yikes, it's almost time to find out who's fighting who next!"  
  
After paying the bill, Matt found a hiding spot, quickly took out a potion, and began to rub it on Pikachu's body when nobody was looking. If anyone asks, he could just explain his business. After applying two potions, he quickly popped Pikachu back inside his Pokéball.  
  
Back at the podium near the shelter, Cody was back on the microphone. "Congratulations for those who passed the first round! Here are your matches: Matt verses Andy, Jennifer verses Lizzie, Stephanie verses Lina and Jordan verses Dylan."  
  
"This isn't good," Matt started, "if all of us lose, it's over for us!"  
  
"I saw some of these guys fight. I don't want to sound like I'm underestimating them, but they really don't have very good Pokémon to begin with. We just have to use at least one of our best Pokémon," Jordan said.  
  
"Right, it doesn't seem critical yet," Lizzie said. "There's no need to get nervous, but there's also no need to completely relax, either."  
  
"Okay then, I'll see you all later, and good luck!" Matt said, heading towards his field as the others did as well.  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	15. The Tournament Finishes

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 15: The Tournament Finishes  
  
  
  
Matt walked to his field. When he was there, he saw what seemed to be his competitor. He was talking to some girls.  
  
"Yeah, Tyler was a big wuss; he had the dumbest Pokémon that I've ever seen!" Andy said. "He did give a good effort though, he managed to give my Pokémon a hard time and decided not to get knocked out for crying out loud!" The girls listening to him giggled.  
  
Matt rolled his eyes. How could girls fall for a jerk like that? he thought. He checked his watch. Ten minutes remained before the match began. He rearranged the Pokéballs in his belt to see which one he was going to use.  
  
Andy stopped and looked at Matt. "I'll be right back, girls." He got up and looked at Matt. "Hey! I haven't seen you in a long time!"  
  
Matt made a face. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"You don't remember me? We both qualified for Pokémon Trainers in Pallet!" Andy said.  
  
Matt suddenly remembered. "Oh yeah! But I don't really know much about you..."  
  
"Don't worry about it. So, how's your life going so far in Pokémon training?" Andy asked.  
  
"Well, I've captured seventeen Pokémon, and I have five badges," Matt said.  
  
"Five?! How could you get five so early?!" Andy exclaimed.  
  
Matt pulled out his small leather sack from his pocket and showed Andy the Boulder, Cascade, Thunder, Blue Crystal and Red Crystal Badges.  
  
"Are those blue and red one real?" Andy asked.  
  
"You can earn them if you beat a gym leader in a hidden gym. There's one here, but I can't seem to remember where the other one was. I think it was just before entering Vermillion City," Matt said.  
  
"Well, the tournament is about to begin, so I hope that you do well!" Andy said.  
  
"You mean our match?" Matt asked.  
  
"We're facing each other?! I was just told to go to this field. Well, if you have that many badges this early, you must be a very skilled trainer. I look forward to today's match!" Andy said, with a grin.  
  
"Thanks, that really means a lot to me," Matt also smiled. Squirtle smiled as well.  
  
The referee arrived in the middle of the field. "Okay boys, select four Pokémon."  
  
Matt and Andy stood at the ends of their side of the field and had four of theirs ready. Matt just picked one at random in his hand, Andy did the same. After three counts, two Pokéballs were thrown. Pinsir appeared out of Matt's, and Pidgeotto appeared out of Andy's.  
  
Matt wasted no time. "Seismic Toss!"  
  
Quickly, Pinsir caught the large, bird Pokémon in its sights and clutched it tightly between its two claws. It then jumped up into the air and tossed Pidgeotto violently into the ground below.  
  
"Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!" Andy yelled.  
  
After Pinsir landed, it was struck by a quick strick from behind. Pinsir landed roughly on the grass, and was slow to get up.  
  
"Andy wins the first sequence," the official lifted a flag.  
  
"He isn't even knocked out yet!" Matt exclaimed.  
  
"Very well, continue."  
  
Matt rolled his eyes. "Pinsir, Ta--" Matt was interuppted by a sudden explosion in the background.  
  
"Stop the match for the moment!" the referee cried. What he and the trainers saw were many Team Rocket members suddenly exiting the forest and dashing directly into the village, fully armed.  
  
"A raid! We'll have to postpone the match for a little while, and hope that we can continue this later. For now, run!" the referee dropped his flag, as he began to run in a random direction.  
  
"Pinsir, come back!" Matt sucked Pinsir back in his Pokéball and scooped up Squirtle. Andy did the same with his Pokémon as they both began to run from Team Rocket. The girls with whom Andy was flirting ran in a separate direction.  
  
Matt looked both to his left and right, not even attempting a head count. "Holy crap! There are at least twenty of them to my left, and thirty of them to my right!"  
  
"Attention, this is Cody. Everyone return your Pokémon and run; Team Rocket is on a rampage!" Cody yelled through the microphone. There was then a loud feedback, and a lout shotgun noise, followed with screams.  
  
"Ahh!" Andy yelled. More Team Rocket members appeared straight ahead of them; at their rate, they would run directly into them.  
  
"Damn! Head left into the forest!" Matt yelled. Andy nodded as they both headed left. Matt grabbed Squirtle's Pokéball. "Sorry to do this to you, buddy, but you'll be safer in here." Matt absorbed Squirtle inside, then minimized the Pokéball while returning it to his belt.  
  
Andy spotted a climbable tree. "Hurry! Up here!" Andy started to climb as Matt was close behind him. They climbed as far as they could to the top of the maple tree they were climbing, then tried their best to hide themselves between branches and leaves.  
  
Andy and Matt were gasping for large breaths. This seemed to be the first time for Andy running for his life, while it was the second time for Matt, remembering the long dash he made to Cerulean City's gym, although both events aren't specifically very similar.  
  
Some of the Team Rocket members ran past the tree in which Andy and Matt were resting. They stopped just in front of it and looked around.  
  
Why did they have to stop here? Matt thought, and placed a finger to his lips to Andy, as they both remained still.  
  
"They couldn't have gotten far. Hh, let's just forget them; I'm sure they don't have any valuable Pokémon for us."  
  
"They had to have climbed one of these trees," another member said.  
  
"Did you not hear me? I said to move out!"  
  
"Sir!"  
  
Matt and Andy then listened carefully as there were several footfalls on the ground below. The loud, scattered sounds eventually diminished before nothing was heard. Both Matt and Andy sighed in relief, knowing that they were now safe.  
  
"Do you think the tournament will resume?" Andy asked.  
  
"I don't know," Matt replied. "Honestly, it doesn't matter to me. Well, it is a lie to say that, because I have really been training hard for the past couple of days. I've trained so hard for this very day, and they ruin it in an instant."  
  
For security reasons Andy and Matt stayed in the tree for about ten minutes before deciding to climb down. Matt dusted off his clothes while Andy stared in the direction from whence they came.  
  
"I don't think they're around anymore. I don't hear any more screaming. It's too risky to go back to the villate now; hell I don't even know if we can get back. We did run a long way without really paying attention to where we were going." He turned around to face Matt. "Regardless, I think we should stick together for a while."  
  
Matt opened an enlarged Pokéball as Squirtle reappeared, then shook his head in disagreement with the suggestion. "It isn't a good idea, because if Team Rocket catches both of us, we'll both be in trouble. It's better on our own, going at our own speeds, and stopping whenever."  
  
Andy nodded in response. He then offered his hand; Matt took it and they shook. "You're a good guy, Matt. If you want to find your friends, a guess of mine is to go to the next gym closest to here."  
  
"Where's that?" Matt asked.  
  
"It's in Saffron City. You'll have to take a ship across to get there, but hopefully that won't be a big deal. I'll be going there as soon as I find everybody else. I have to find my older brother. See ya later!" Andy then dashed back towards the village, which Matt found strange, since he greatly resented the idea of returning there just a few moments ago.  
  
"Be careful!" Matt yelled. "They could still be there!"  
  
"Don't worry! I'll be all right! If I see any of your friends, I'll send them on your way!"  
  
Matt didn't dare go back, for fear of being caught. Therefore, he and Squirtle turned and ran down the path suggested by Andy . He ran for about five consecutive minutes with Squirtle in his arms, then stopped by a lake and sat down on a rock.  
  
"Squirtle?" Squirtle pointed back.  
  
Matt shook his head. "We can't go back; we might get caught! And who knows what they could do to us! It is unfortunate for us to get separated so quickly. I was really enjoying Jordan's confidence boosters, and I was also starting to like Lizzie! Well, in a different way."  
  
Squirtle dropped his head in disappointment. A tear began to fall from his eye.  
  
Matt scooped up Squirtle and wiped the tear away. "Hey, don't be upset; we'll see them again! We won't be separated forever! But it is rather inconvenient for things to be this way right now. We WILL meet again, mark my words. Now, let's keep on going." Matt decided to carry his Squirtle, for a small grin appeared on his face.  
  
After walking for about an hour, Matt decided to keep a journal about what happened since their separation from Lizzie and Jordan. He sat down on an old, fallen log, took out a note book and a pen. He let Squirtle run around for a bit as he began to write.  
  
'Day One,' Matt began to write.'"As I was participating in a tournament at Dellesse Village, Team Rocket appeared. With no idea where my friends Lizzie and Jordan were, I decided to run with my opponent, who was also a starting trainer from Pallet Town, like myself. I do hope that this separation from my friends is just temporary, but for now, Zenigame and myself must continue this expedition.' Matt stopped writing. He put his note book and pen back in his backpack and let out a long sigh. His wrist sore from writing, he shook it a bit, to loosen it up.  
  
Matt checked his watch; it was starting to hit mid-afternoon. He decided that he would rest for about an hour, then walk again. He took out some apples he bought from a store and ate two; he then gave Squirtle one of them. They both ate and enjoyed a snack as some of their needs were met and satisfised. Matt checked his map for he hoped that soon, he would arrive at the port where he could get a ride to Saffron City.  
  
Matt checked his watch about fifty minutes later. He decided that he and Squirtle had rested long enough. He put his backpack back on, and he and Squirtle continued their walk. In fifteen more minutes, they both exited the woods and then found themselves in a vast, open field. There was a brisk wind. Matt began to shiver as he pulled out a jacket. He noticed that Squirtle was getting a bit cold, too, so he picked him up and held him close.  
  
Matt looked up in the sky as he noticed the sky become blanketed by clouds. "What a dull afternoon," he commented. "I hope it doesn't rain."  
  
"Squirtle..." Squirtle still shivered, even after being held tightly by Matt. Matt pulled out a touque that he wasn't wearing currently and put it on Squirtle's head. It was a bit large, so Matt had to pull it back so it covered all of it without falling off. Matt shivered again, for the temperature seemed to drop drastically.  
  
"Will this horrid day never end?" Matt shivered again.  
  
Matt and Squirtle continued on walking until they reached a small port. Matt checked the map to make sure that they were in the right spot. They were. The ship however, was not there, and may not return until later that day, or perhaps later during the week. Next to the port, Matt spotted a nearby Pokémon Center, as quickly he and Squirtle dashed inside of it to keep warm. From the sudden temperature change, Matt's face turned all red and his glasses fogged up as soon as they entered the center. He pulled off his jacket and hung it up on a coat hook next to a rack of magazines. He also pulled off his touque that Squirtle was wearing and placed it back into his backpack. Checking the line-up to the front desk, Matt saw many trainers, but recognized none of them; he came to the conclusion that none of them was participating in the tournament.  
  
In about ten minutes, Matt left his Pokémon in the care of Nurse Joy. He also asked a room for the night, for he wanted to wait if Jordan and Lizzie could come. It was rather early to ask for a room, but the nurse in her curtosy didn't refuse. It was in fact cold outside; the nurse said that a cold front came in from the north, which pushed in clouds and windy conditions.  
  
Matt didn't eat that evening; he felt sick and rather upset, because he could have ran back to see if Lizzie and Jordan were still at the tournament instead of running on. He asked for a room with a single bed, being left all alone with himself and Squirtle. He checked the clock next to his bed: it was 8:42pm. He was starting to get rather tired, and worried. Earlier, he left Nurse Joy a message to see that if Jordan and Lizzie do arrive, they would know that he had been there, or is still there in the center. After brushing his teeth, he slipped into his pyjamas, and fell into a restless sleep.  
  
Matt continued tossing and turning, often knocking Squirtle off of the bed, and getting scolded each time. He kept on worrying about his friends, wondering if they would ever see each other again.  
  
Matt yawned. Don't leave me all alone like this, he thought. It's not as fun as I originally thought traveling alone. It is in fact a dangerous world out there. Matt then slept for the rest of the night without disturbances.  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	16. Still Alone

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 16: Still Alone  
  
  
  
'Day Four,' Matt started to write; 'still no sign of Lizzie or Jordan, and my birthday is today. I got a little card from my parents and my sister, along with about 100 Pokébucks. I don't know if this should be used as spending money or not, but I still have to keep on going. Staying at this center will only slow things down even more.' Matt closed his book, and began to pack his clothes neatly into his backpack. He had recently done the laundry with his clothes and now they smell fresh.  
  
Squirtle had still been asleep on the bed, and Matt felt like he may have gained a little weight. His mother would have prefered that he did. It started to warm up outdoors little bit again, but probably by only a couple of degrees. It felt like autumn, and it was. Looking at his watch with the date, it was already past the twenty-first of September, and his birthday was today, the twenty-fifth. Matt had completed packing his things, and woke Squirtle up gently. Matt carried him outside the room and made sure that if Jordan and Lizzie came by the center, Nurse Joy would give them the message.  
  
As they step outside, they headed east, to the port. Matt had to walk slower than normal, since he hadn't been walking much for the past three days. It took only twenty minutes to reach the port, it was pretty much entirely visible from the Pokémon Center. He reluctantly spent eighty of his hundred given to him by his parents for a ticket to cross over; only twenty remained. He felt guilty, but he realized that the money was a helping hand, not to be used for materialistic matters unless absolutely necessary.  
  
The ship set sail just five minutes after Matt got on. It was like a small cruise ship. The deck was recently cleaned, and there were to his surprise a good number of passengers there. He rarely said anything all morning; of course, there really wasn't anybody to talk to. "I could have gotten that Golden Pokéball for a prize if only Team Rocket hadn't showed up," he muttered.   
  
Since Matt didn't feel like talking to anyone, he followed directions to his guest room. It wasn't as nice as First Class, but there was some soft-coloured wallpaper, a comfortable bed, and a bathroom with a shower. Since Matt didn't shower in about three days, he decided to have one today. He took a quick shower then slid back into his clothes.  
  
Matt stayed in his room for almost the entire trip, reading magazines and talking to Squirtle. He got up once and a while to walk around his room. After staying up for an hour, he decided to nap which lasted two hours. After waking up, he checked his watch: it was 1:30pm.   
  
"Attention, this is the captain. The ship will arrive in Maiden's Peak in just fifteen minutes. Please pack your things and head to the bow of the ship," a voice said over the PA.  
  
Matt got up and stretched, surprised to find Squirtle awake.  
  
"Hey, were you awake for the entire time?" Matt asked.  
  
Squirtle shook his head in reply.  
  
Matt yawned and picked up his backpack. "We're landing soon; let's go." Matt picked up his Squirtle and left the guestroom. He then ascended up a flight of stairs, and since he didn't know exactly where the bow of the ship was, he followed others, which was outside. He could see the ship getting closer to its destination. It quickly landed as Matt tried to push through the crowd trying to get off the ship. As he got off he saw a statue of a beautiful woman, holding her hands open-palmed up to her neck as if she was waiting for somebody. He already heard about its legend, and didn't feel like staying a moment longer. He saw that there was a lively festival in town, but he just rested for only a few days. He couldn't afford to take anymore breaks and his Pokémon needed exercise.  
  
After exiting Maiden's Peak, Matt and Squirtle found Route 8; a path which will lead them towards Saffron City; a city which obtains another official gym, where Matt challenge the gym leader for his sixth badge.  
  
Matt took out his map. "They have the Marsh Badge there, and they use Psychic Pokémon. If I can remember...no I don't remember which Pokémon have the advantage against Psychic. Possibly Ghost Pokémon."  
  
"Squirtle?" Squirtle asked, almost seeming like he wanted Matt to explain.  
  
"Well, Psychic Pokémon can also be beaten by other Pokémon with the perfect strategy." Matt put his map away, then he sighed. "You know Zenigame, it bites not having another person to talk to. I guess I've gotten far too social the past little while, and now, I'm starting to get a little bit doubtful if I'll see them again."  
  
After walking down the straight-forward path of Route 8, Matt passed through the entrance of Saffron City. Looking around, he noticed how strangely quiet it was. Only a few cars were on the road, while watching people traveling in groups, none of them spoke aloud at all. It almost seemed to them that they were like zombies, or more likely, just too serious to speak.  
  
In just a few minutes they arrived at the city's Pokémon Center, which was almost completely filled with Pokémon trainers. Matt walked up to see the nurse who as usual was with a smile. Nurse Joy said that taking care of his Pokémon would take a while, because there were others that needed healing or recovery. Matt decided that it was time for a lunch break regardless, and stated that he had all the time in the world.  
  
Matt looked long and hard at the menu, not sure what to get. The restaurant seemed rather plain to him, and yet rather busy. The restrooms did not impress him however. After a while, he decided to order a small pepperoni pizza with a cream soda to drink.  
  
After eating and paying with help from the remainder of the money his parents had given him, Matt had returned to the Pokémon Center which became suddenly quiet, for most of the Pokémon Trainers seemed to have already left. Matt went up to the service bell and rang it.   
  
Nurse Joy came back as his Pokémon was returning to him. She smiled. "Out of all the Pokémon here, you seem to be the one with the most disciplined Pokémon. I had no trouble getting them to co-operate! When some of these Pokémon evolve, they will continue to respect you and listen to your every command."  
  
Matt blushed. "We have been training hard recently."  
  
"That's good; you're probably ready to challenge Sabrina at our gym. You probably already know that she uses Psychic Pokémon, and that a lot of psychics train there, as well."  
  
"Weird," Matt commented. "That's probably why it's ridiculously quiet out on the streets during such a busy day."  
  
Nurse Joy shrugged her shoulders. "I've never been there, but people have been telling me that sometimes they were scared away from that gym. Some of them have never even returned from there. The Pokémon League doesn't even try to stop Sabrina; she just disposes of them with her Psychic powers. To tell the truth, some trainers actually skip this gym, because of Sabrina's ways. How many badges do you have now?"  
  
Matt took out his small leather bag and dumped his badges on the counter. "I have the Boulder, Cascade, Thunder, Red and Blue Crystal badges."  
  
"Hey, you've found some of the hidden gyms, you mean?" Nurse Joy asked.  
  
"That's right. They're not indicated on the map, but they give you hints to where they're located."  
  
"I see. Well, challenge Sabrina, I'm sure you'll become the victor if you believe in yourself; your Pokémon seem to be a lot stronger than some of the other trainers I've seen here lately. But do NOT take her lightly. It's quite possible that you'll never escape from there."  
  
* * *  
  
"The winner is Matt!" the announcer over the P.A yelled.  
  
"Yes!" Matt jumped in joy. Pikachu also jumped for joy.  
  
Sabrina managed to let out a small smirk for about a second. "Nobody has been able to beat my Pokémon in such a long time. You shall be awarded with the Marsh Badge," Sabrina said quietly and calmly. The little doll dressed in formal clothing held out her palm, as it slowly floated over towards Matt.  
  
"I'll never forget this, thank you." Matt called back Pikachu inside its Pokéball. After challenging the small Abra and failing with both Charmeleon and Bulbasaur, his last hope was Pikachu. Matt returned to the Pokémon Center, somewhat confused and trying to find answers why she only used the one Pokémon while he was allowed to use as many possible.  
  
Once again, the center was crowded with many people as Matt dropped off his Pokémon with Nurse Joy. Sitting down near a magazine rack, he decided to read and check out the trainer's tips, but the noise was starting to bother him. Giving up, he left the Pokémon Center, and walked towards a Pokémon Mart just next door.  
  
Matt picked up a couple of Potions and Antidoes. He then walked over to the Pokéball section. He was pleased, since now they had Greatballs in stock. 'Greatball, for those hard-to-catch Pokémon!' the sign read. Counting his money carefully, Matt was surprised to find more than he originally thought he had. Matt didn't hesitate to grab five of them, since he discovered that they were a much better deal than at Dellesse. He went to pay for them at the front.  
  
"With the total of Antidotes, Potions and Greatballs, your total comes to 54.30," the cash register was opened.  
  
Matt took out a fifty and a five and paid for the items, then collected his change. As Matt returned to the Pokémon Center, he retrieved his Pokémon and was back on the road again. Matt took out a box of Pokétreats and handed them to his Squirtle, who ate them quickly.  
  
As they sat down to rest, Matt pulled out a map. "The next stop is Celadon City. We can get the Rainbow Badge there." While looking at the rest of the map, he found another clue which could lead to a secret gym. "Let's see, 'Ghosts, trees and castles surround this place, as the dark shades of this colour are not afraid to live up to its name'. Weird..." He continued looking at the map, looking for a possible place for this next gym.   
  
"Ghosts, castles and trees? Dark shades of colour--oh Lavender Town! There's a hidden gym there! Nice, let's keep on going, Zenigame!"  
  
Matt didn't have a hard time finding the correct route, for it was the opposite end of Route 8, which leads to Saffron City. It took a few hours to reach Lavender Town. There was a deathly silence; Matt could hear nothing. It was still relatively bright outdoors however; the sun had yet to set. Matt heard a scream from one of the houses as a girl suddenly ran out, looking behind her. Matt only saw her at the last second as she collided directly into him.  
  
Matt's balance was greatly hindered as he tripped over Squirtle and landed hard on his back. He slowly got up and helped Squirtle back on his feet.  
  
"Zenigame, are you all right? You seem okay." He angrily then stepped to his feet to scold whoever just rudely crashed into him without even watching her step.  
  
"I...I'm sorry," the girl hesitated, her words breaking up at times.  
  
Matt looked at the girl. He couldn't see her face, since her hood was covering it. Also, her back facing Matt. Looking at the backpack, Matt noticed that it was very similar to the one Lizzie had. Slowly and quietly he spoke. "L...Lizzie? Are you Lizzie?"  
  
The girl quickly turned around and pulled her hood down. It indeed was Lizzie. "Matt! Where the hell have you been, you creep?! You scared the living tar out of me!"  
  
"Hey, Team Rocket attacked me and I had to run; I had no other choice! Where did you go?"  
  
"Well...I had to quickly call back Val, who was doing great in battle by the way; and I almost completed the comeback, when Cody's voice came over the P.A. I couldn't see Jordan and I just ran into the woods like everyone else. I had been lost for the longest time. I had to take a ferry to the shores of Sando Beach, and it lead me to this creepy place. There's Ghost Pokémon everywhere."  
  
"Jordan? Did you see him at all?" Matt asked.  
  
Lizzie shook her head. "I never saw him at all ever since I ran. And...your birthday's today, isn't it?"  
  
"That's right," Matt replied.  
  
"Here, I got this for you." Lizzie handed Matt a brightly-coloured wrapped box, covered with a shining, purple ribbon. "I hope that you like this."  
  
Matt took the box. "Why did you do this? You should be saving your money." Matt's straight face turned into a smile as he carefully took off the wrapping paper. He opened the box. There was a Greatball inside of it. "You got me a Greatball?"  
  
"Not just a Greatball. Use your Pokédex," Lizzie said.  
  
"You caught a Pokémon for me? But, it can't work; I'm not the original trainer! We'd have to use a trading machine!"  
  
"Actually, if you're just giving it away, there's a simpler way of doing it! Here, let me show you; somebody taught me this on the ferry." Lizzie showed Matt how to change the trainer with the Pokédex. Matt found it rather complicated; he was certain he wouldn't remember how to do that if he wanted to do it in the future. "Here, now you just analyze what's in the Pokémon here." Lizzie pressed a button. A picture of an Onix appeared.  
  
"Onix, a Rock Pokémon. As it grows, the stone portions of its body harden to become similar to diamond, but coloured black," the Pokédex explained.  
  
"How the heck did you get an Onix?" Matt asked.  
  
"In the Rock Cave. There are plenty of Rock Pokémon there. I used Articuno's Ice Beam to stall it, then I captured it in a Greatball that I found. I think somebody dropped it while they were running away from Team Rocket or was just careless."  
  
"I am just really glad that I found you again. But they have a hidden gym here somewhere. Let's try to find it."  
  
"Good, then we'll go to Saffron; I haven't been there yet."  
  
"I just won a badge there earlier today. I'm sure you can do the same."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	17. A Careless Mistake

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 17: A Careless Mistake  
  
  
  
"Matt! I just captured a Haunter!" Lizzie yelled out loud.  
  
"You did? Where did you find it?" Matt asked.  
  
"They're everywhere! You were right; Articuno is doing an awesome job!" Lizzie smiled.  
  
Matt also smiled, looking through the shrubs. It was morning, and even during the day, Lavender Town looked ominously dark, perhaps because of its dark coloured buildings, Matt wondered. He also wondered what it would be like when the sun shone, since a blanket of clouds reigned the sky on this day. "Damn it, where the hell's the gym?!"  
  
"Calm down, we've only been searching for about ten minutes. We should stop for a quick rest." Lizzie sighed. She then shivered. "It's getting pretty cold lately."  
  
"Huh? What's this?" Matt saw something peculiar that was buried underneath some sand and dust. He wiped it away and tapped at what seemed to be a wooden door. It made a dull, hollow sound. After dusting some more he found a handle and pulled it. The door opened. There was a ladder which lead down into darkness. "Honestly, these hidden gyms become much harder to find everytime!" Matt started to climb down.  
  
"Hey! Wait up!" Lizzie started to climb down as well.  
  
"Take your time! I don't want my hands stepped on!" Matt yelled. "It's dark down here; go slowly! You okay, Zenigame?"  
  
"Squirtle..." Squirtle said quietly.   
  
Eventually, Matt made it to the ground, but it was very dark. He waited for Lizzie to arrive before going further. Their eyes couldn't adjust to the dark, even after waiting a couple of minutes.  
  
Matt took out a Pokéball. "Shield your eyes...I'm letting out Charmeleon." Matt closed his eyes as he let Charmeleon out of the Pokéball. Matt and Lizzie put both their hands over their eyes, as they slowly readjusted themselves to the light. He saw that he, Squirtle and Lizzie were in a small room, with some cobwebs surrounding them in the corners of the ceiling and the floor. There was also a door a few feet away from where they were standing.  
  
"Eww, spider webs," Lizzie cringed.  
  
"All right, let's go through that other door," Matt said. Everybody nodded and slowly followed him towards it.  
  
"Char?" Charmeleon was pointing to a lightswitch.  
  
"How convenient. All right, let's turn it on." Lizzie walked towards the switch and flipped it on before going through the door. Nothing happened. "Perhaps the light turned on in the next room?"  
  
Matt looked under the space of the door. "No, it's dark in there, too. Let's keep on going anyway." Matt opened the door and let Charmeleon go through first. There were several cages, each one trapping Ghost Pokémon.  
  
"Ghost Pokémon in cages?!" Lizzie exclaimed. "That's terrible!"  
  
Matt observed the Ghost Pokémon carefully. He saw no movement in any of them. "They can't be real! Ghost Pokémon have the ability to go through solid objects, so why can't they go through these cages?"  
  
"That's right!" Lizzie looked around the room. "I think that they're stuffed!"  
  
"And stuffed they are..." a deep harsh voice sounded and echoed in the room as suddenly lights filled the area. "So, nosey kids decided to come and check out my collection of Ghost Pokémon in cages."  
  
Lizzie made a face. "What a weirdo..."  
  
"This is a hidden gym. If you want the Orange Crystal Badge, you have to first defeat me." The character moved into the room, wearing a cloak. However, due to the lighting, that's all that Matt would see. He saw the character's eyes flashing for only for a swift moment, as a chill ran down his spine.  
  
"All right, let's go Char--"  
  
"I'm going first!" Lizzie stepped out in front of Matt.  
  
"Hey! I found the gym--"  
  
"I have less badges than you! Come on, let me fight!" Lizzie said.  
  
"Well, you're going to be the first and only people here, since there's only one badge. Decide who gets to fight for it," the leader rudely muttered, tossing it up and down several times.  
  
"Fine. Lizzie can do it this time." Matt sighed.  
  
"This room is too small to battle; shall we go to the gym?" the man offered.  
  
They entered a dimly lit room which was a bit smaller than any of the other gym floors with which Matt and Lizzie were familiar. As usual, the battlefield was made of wood. He then walked to the far end of the gym floor, while Lizzie walked to the opposite end. The gym leader then turned himself towards the two Pokémon trainers and stared at them with a sly grin on his face. "From what I've heard, I thought you kids were smarter; I had no idea that this would work so well."  
  
"Who are you?!" Lizzie exclaimed, pulling out a Pokéball.  
  
The man pulled off his cloak, and Matt could finally make him out clearly. He was wearing pitch-black jeans, a black T-shirt with a cyan blue 'R' printed in the middle of it. His eyes glowed with a cold, dark brown colour. His brown sideburns were all that were visible to Matt, for the rest of his head was wrapped with a blood-red bandana. His age could not be determined. Matt guessed around his mid-twenties, if not younger, or maybe even slightly older. "So, you were the ones who foiled the middle-class Team Rocket members. It's odd to receive an order to chase around meddling kids, but Giovanni seemed so concerned about his great name."  
  
"Team Rocket," Matt snarled. "I'm sick of you stalking us!"  
  
"Oh, come now, is that any way to talk to me?" The man pulled out a Pokéball and enlarged it. "I want to see for sure if you really are worth all of this trouble. You should be honoured to have the chance to battle one of the Elite Team Rocket Trainers, Arrmun."  
  
Squirtle growled, stepping himself in front of Matt. Charmeleon also growled, stepping himself beside Squirtle.  
  
"Fine! Let's see how you can deal with--"  
  
"Matt! Let me take him!" Lizzie pulled out a Pokéball and jumped in front of Matt. "I want to prove my worth to you! You've battled in the past, now I want to see how good I am against Team Rocket!"  
  
Matt nodded, and stepped back, pulling Charmeleon and Squirtle with him. "All right then, we'll just use Zenigame and Charmeleon for back-up."  
  
"Dragonair, go!" Arrmun threw a Pokéball as a long, slippery-skinned Pokémon appeared. Its body was long, and blue, with bright, dark eyes, and the face of a dragon told in fairy tailes. "Now, let's see what you have."  
  
"Val, go!" Lizzie let out her Vulpix.  
  
"Really, now. Dragonair, Hyper Beam!"  
  
Dragonair allowed itself to drop to the ground charged up a beam inside its mouth.  
  
"I don't think so! Confuse Ray!" Lizzie commanded.  
  
Vulpix concentrated her energy, then let out a ray which baffled and altered the vision of the Dragonair. The Dragonair then launched its head forward, firing the beam, but its target, the Vulpix, was missed entirely, and struck the back wall, causing the building to slightly shake.  
  
"Flamethrower!"  
  
With Dragonair's mind still baffled, Vulpix jolted its head forward, firing a stream of scorching hot flames towards its opponent. The Dragonair was completely engulfed, and after the attack was finished, it collapsed hard into the gym floor, creating a loud bang. It was not moving.  
  
"Dragonair, return!" Arrmun scowled, cursing under his breath. Dragonair was then absorbsed inside of its Pokéball. While minimizing it, he threw another enlarged Pokéball out on the field. "Porygon, go!"  
  
"What is THAT?" Matt said, staring at the strangely designed Pokémon. Matt wasn't certain what it looked like. It looked like it was shaped using polygons. Its belly, claws, beak and tail were coloured gray, with its head and back coloured pink. Its eyes shown a bright white. "Wait! My Pokédex! I can't remember the last time I used it." He took it out and pointed it at the Porygon.  
  
"Porygon, a Pokémon that consists entirely of programming code. Capable of moving freely in cyberspace," the electric encyclopedia replied.  
  
"That doesn't tell me much," Matt said, putting his Pokédex away. "Does that mean it's synthetic, then?"  
  
"Porygon, Psybeam attack!" Arrmun commanded.  
  
Porygon charged a beam in its mouth, and instantly firing it at Vulpix, who had no time to counter-attack. It struck the fox-like Pokémon hard, and it was sent colliding roughly into the gym floor. It was not moving.  
  
"Come back," Lizzie stated, disappointed as Vulpix returned into its Pokéball. She then pulled out a Greatball. "Looks like I'll have to go with my trump card. Articuno, let's go!" She tossed the Greatball as Articuno appeared.  
  
"A Legendary Bird?! How did you get your hands on that?!" Arrmun pulled out a Greatball and enlarged it. "That Pokémon is mine!" He tossed the Greatball.  
  
"No!" Lizzie shouted, as Articuno was flying around, unaware of what was happening.  
  
A bright light appeared onto the battlefield suddenly, as the Greatball was struck away hard by the creature's tail, as it crashed into the wall, shattering completely. The large, snake-like creature unleashed an intimidating growl.  
  
"Nobody attemps to steal Pokémon from one of my friends and gets away with it!" Matt scowled. "Onix will make completely sure of this!"  
  
"You brats! You can try whatever you like, but nobody is leaving until that Articuno belongs to me!"  
  
"Listen to me you stuck up creep!" Matt yelled. "Find Pokémon and capture them in the wild or in a trade! Stealing them is just low!"  
  
"Where the hell to you think I come from, kid?!" Arrmun said, laughing.  
  
"You REALLY disgust me!" Matt angrily lunged forward at Arrmun and launched his right fist towards his face. Arrmun reached his hand out and absorbed the hard blow. He then began to squeeze Matt's fist.  
  
"Look, I have no interest in a street fight. Fighting belongs only with Pokémon."  
  
"Not in this case!" Matt threw forward his right knee, connecting roughly with Arrmun's lower abdoment. Arrmun grunted, and released Matt's fist from his grasp. Matt then grabbed Arrmun's empty arm and threw him into the wall violently before crashing down into the solid ground below. "I'll kill you if I have to!" Matt approached Arrmun and continued kicking him in the lower abdomen, before Arrmun blocked his foot, then pulled on it, causing Matt's balance to wobble. He used this opportunity to pull himself to his feet, and tackled Matt to the ground. Matt began to toss more punches, but Arrmun grabbed both of his fists.  
  
"Listen to me you little pest. I'm serious, you don't want me to have to get rough, do you?" Arrmun started squeezing Matt's fists.  
  
"Stop it! Stop it at once!" Lizzie shouted desperately, running towards the two fighting Pokémon trainers. "Matt, you don't need to resolve fights this way!"  
  
"Now, what do you say, will you stop attacking me?" Arrmun asked.  
  
"Oh, like hell I will! Onix, tackle attack!" Matt yells. Arrmun, his eyes widened, turned his head to the side as Onix came quickly roaring off the gym floor towards Arrmun. Lizzie screamed and jumped to the side, while Onix's head collided with Arrmun's entire body, with the impact sending him off his feet into the wall. Matt pulled himself to his feet, with Onix waiting beside Matt, waiting for his next command. Arrmun fell towards the ground, almost lifelessly. He was not moving.  
  
"Unconscious? We're far from over. Onix! Get him!" Onix started to lunge forward towards an unconscious Arrmun.  
  
"Matt, no! Stop this now! Onix, don't do it!"  
  
"He tried to steal your Pokémon, and he's going to pay for it!" Matt yelled.  
  
"By killing him?! Matt, you're not a killer! You can't treat a person this way! Even though he's from Team Rocket, that doesn't give you automatic rights to start killing! Don't let Onix attack him! Come on, please!"  
  
"He tried to make a mockery of us, too, Lizzie!" Matt scowled, his eyes burning with anger. "I don't care that he's a human being; he's going to pay for his ignorance!"  
  
"Matt!" Lizzie screamed, slapping Matt twice across the face. "Stop this insanity! Do you want to give yourself a bad reputation that will haunt you for the rest of your life?! If the Pokémon League found out that you killed somebody, you would lose your trainer's license, get a huge fine for ording your Pokémon to kill, and go straight to jail for the rest of your life! Is that what you really want?!"  
  
A tear ran down Matt's cheek as he stared deep into Lizzie's eyes. "Onix, return." Matt absorbed Onix back inside its Greatball as Matt buried his face in his hands. "What..what has come over me? What was I thinking? I have no right to be called a Pokémon trainer."  
  
Lizzie quickly went to Matt and embraced him. "It's all right; we all make mistakes. Thank goodness you were able to stop at the last moment. Come, we should call him an ambulance; he should go straight to jail after this."  
  
* * *  
  
"So there's no hidden gym then." Lizzie sighed. "Well, so much for that. It was just a Team Rocket scam."  
  
"Well, we should go back to Saffron City, since you haven't been there yet," Matt said.  
  
"Yeah, we'll go straight to Fucshia City right after that," Lizzie said, smiling. She then noticed that Matt was hanging his head low. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I don't think I'll ever get over what happened this morning."  
  
"Matt look. Don't let this haunt you for the rest of your life! Don't worry about it. You're good at learning from your mistakes; so next time, you won't go quite as far as you did," Lizzie let out another smile.  
  
"You'd better be right," Matt said, lifting up his head and staring into the bright afternoon sun. "Let's go back to Saffron, then."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	18. Trouble Arousing

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 18: Trouble Arousing  
  
  
  
Matt checked his watch. It had only been about five minutes since Lizzie entered the Saffron gym to challenge the leader, and he suspected she would be a few moments Longer. However, she came charging out through the front doors with a big smile across her face. "I did it! I really did it!"  
  
"Nice, are we ready to go to Fuchsia then?" Matt asked.  
  
"Yeah, we should stock up on our supplies, then move on."  
  
Stopping by a nearby Pokémon Mart, the two stock up on healing supplies and more Greatballs. Matt was very hesitant to pay for his share, for he felt that he was running low on money.  
  
"I only have about twenty dollars left," Matt said. "We really should stop buying all of these Greatballs."  
  
"We have to stay up to date don't we?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"I don't know what the big deal is," Matt replied. "Though it'll raise the success rate of our captures, it's a little bit costly to spend our extra cash on this. Not to mention something's been bugging me the past while."  
  
"Try not to think too much. If there's something you feel has to be said, say it," Lizzie replied.  
  
"No, I don't want to drag you into confusion," Matt said. "Something's disturbing me slightly, I don't really want to talk about it right now. The words won't come out right. It's probably because I'm tired; we should go and nap for a little while."  
  
"It's only noon, come on, we could get at least a quarter of the way to Fucshia if we leave now. Besides, it's starting to warm up again; I think that cold chill vanished. Anyway, we really should be going, come on." Lizzie dashed towards the exit to the city, then beckoned Matt to come. He followed, and together they walked down the dirt road of Route 7.  
  
There were at least ten minutes of silence as the three traveled. Matt was thinking to himself, wondering how to express what was on his mind to Lizzie, Squirtle was relaxed in Matt's arms, and Lizzie was just staring ahead at the path, drinking from a water bottle from time to time.  
  
"You don't think there's a hidden gym here, do you?" Matt said, deciding to try and make some conversation.  
  
Lizzie shrugged. "I don't really know if we should spend so much time looking for them; we'll get too far behind. Besides, we should also be looking for some Pokémon, too."  
  
Matt looked around. "I haven't seen any here. As a matter of fact, I haven't seen any in a long time. Do you think the change in temperature is starting to make them hibernate?"  
  
Lizzie shook her head. "It's too early for them to do that. It started to warm up today a little bit; and regardless we should be able to find at least some...."  
  
* * *  
  
Later that evening, Matt and Lizzie set up camp in a tent that was recently purchased by the two back in Dellesse Village. Matt managed to tell Lizzie what he had on his mind, in his best words possible, hoping that Lizzie wouldn't have trouble understanding. Squirtle was sound asleep, so Matt and Lizzie spoke as quietly as possible.  
  
"...That's it. I hope you don't think I'm weird," Matt said, blushing slightly.  
  
"I don't think you're weird. You've told me a lot of things, but you should feel better now that you got some of those off of your chest," Lizzie replied. "Well, at least now I understand why you've become a trainer. You want to be a master? That's a long way coming."  
  
"I don't expect it all to happen at once. I know that sometimes I can get impatient; there are many kids who are looking away from me instead up looking up to me. I've been studying Pokémon for a very long time!" Matt said.  
  
"That helps a little bit," Lizzie replied.  
  
"The thing is, I've wanted to become a Pokémon trainer for the longest time. I wanted to just get up and leave on my own Pokémon journey after watching all of those tournaments on TV. Ever since I was seven years old, I've learned about the basic one hundred fifty possible Pokémon to capture, but I was also studying some of the Pokémon that have been recently discovered."  
  
"So, why didn't you get your trainer's license when you were ten then?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"I couldn't! You had to be eighteen in order to become a Pokémon trainer. A week after I heard that you could be as young as ten, I signed up right away. My parents didn't approve; they wanted me to at least finish high school first."  
  
"Wow, studying Pokémon at seven is an extremely young age. I only left to become a trainer simply because I was bored of being at home all the time."  
  
"Yeah, I hate being home all the time, too. My mom was pushing me to find a job, but it's been really hard for me. I couldn't find one that was right for me. So after I learned that you could be ten to start Pokémon training, I couldn't wait to leave."  
  
Lizzie yawned. "Well, I'm getting a bit tired. Do you want to walk a bit more, or do you want to go to sleep right now?"  
  
"I really need to sleep; I've been restless for the past couple of days, and it's all coming back to me. Wow, I'm about to pass out." Matt slammed his head on his pillow. He fell asleep almost in seconds.  
  
Lizzie let out a silent laugh. "Heh, he's so much fun to travel with; I wonder if he'll be right for me?" Lizzie placed her head on her pillow. She shivered slightly. "It's pretty cold out here." She blew out the small flame on her candle and slid fast asleep.  
  
* * *  
  
Matt woke up the next morning, feeling very refreshed. He decided to stretch a bit, so he got out of his sleeping bag, and looked at his watch. It was past nine-o'-clock, so he thought it would be best to get up and leave as soon as possible. He already started to pack his sleeping back, went into his backpack and pulled out an energy bar. It took a minute to eat, then he continued to pack.  
  
Matt stuck his head out the tent and breathed in the humid air. He shivered slightly. "Yuck, it's cool and it's humid; I should wear my jacket today." He closed the tent and put on his dark leather jacket. "I really don't like the fact of sleeping in my street clothes," he muttered, while walking back outside.  
  
"Oh, it's you again!" a voice yelled. "Camping out in the wilderness, I see?"  
  
Matt quickly darted his head around and saw Arrmun, in the same clothing he was wearing when they met only one day previously. "What the...? How the hell did you get out so quickly?"  
  
"I didn't have to; I was bailed," Arrmun replied.  
  
"I guess you are an elite trainer then," Matt commented.  
  
"Why would you think I would lie to a punk like yourself?"  
  
"I thought that you were just being cocky," Matt responded, laughing.  
  
"Well, would you like to have a little match?" Arrmun pulled out a Greatball.  
  
"No, I'm too tired, come back when I'm angry, like last time," Matt said, yawning.  
  
"Don't worry, an event like last time won't happen. I reported your action to the Pokémon League; you now have a warning."  
  
Matt laughed again. "Right, like a Team Rocket member could just go up and report what happened. You're such a hypocrite."  
  
"In what way?"  
  
"You go around stealing Pokémon and attempt to kill certain trainers, while I get very emotional and was very close to making the final command to squash you. Heh, I'd probably just get a fine or a couple of days in jail for attempted murder; I'd get a warning THAT way."  
  
"Well, you certainly are a smart kid, but you're not quite clever enough."  
  
Lizzie suddenly came out of her tent, noticing that Matt wasn't in his sleeping bag, along with hearing him arguing with somebody outside. "Matt, what's going on?" she yawned.  
  
"Excellent, so your friend here only means more Pokémon for me to steal.," Arrmun chuckled.  
  
Matt scoffed and turned his head towards Lizzie, who was standing up, before turning his head back towards Arrmun, shaking his head. "Look, we beat you last time, and don't think that we're about to give up so easily."  
  
"That's why I brought re-inforcements." Arrmun snapped his fingers as several other members of Team Rocket created a circle around them, completely surrounding the area. "You see, I don't just wonder around, and think of a plan for only a minute. I plan for hours, perhaps days. Now you have no choice; give up your Pokémon, or die." Guns were raised to Lizzie and Matt.  
  
"Filthy scum," Matt scowled, creating a fist.  
  
"Matt, do as they say. Even if they do kill us, they'll still get our Pokémon."  
  
"We have no choice, then," Matt said, sighing, reaching into his pocket. He secretly clutched a smoke bomb from inside. "Let's see how you can deal with one of these!" Matt quickly tossed it to the ground, filling the entire area with smoke in only a split second.  
  
"Quickly, get inside!" Lizzie shouted, crawling back into the tend. Matt dropped to his feet, guessing where the tent was before eventually finding it. Outdoors there was much yelling, panicking and coughing, however no gunshots could be heard.  
  
"Zenigame, Zenigame! Where are you?!" Matt yelled.  
  
"Squirtle?" Squirtle asked, finally waking up. There was little smoke in the tent, but enough to make it very difficult to see.  
  
"Quick, let's grab our bags and run; the smoke won't stand for much longer!" Lizzie yelled.  
  
"Right, come on!" Matt grabbed Squirtle as both they and Lizzie ran far away as some of the smoke began to clear up.  
  
"I don't see them," Lizzie said, looking back.  
  
"Keep running!" Matt yelled.  
  
Continuing to run for a few more minutes, they finally slowed down as some of the smoke began to clear. As soon as it cleared, they both stopped to catch their breath. Matt looked back; he heard no footfalls, nor did he see any Team Rocket member darting behind them.  
  
Matt let out a frustrated yell and kicked some sand. "I'm getting a bit disgusted how desperate these Team Rocket idiots are getting!"  
  
"I didn't know that our Pokémon were THIS valuable," Lizzie commented. "And where did you get that smoke bomb?"  
  
"I found another one that Cloë dropped, after she was arrested. Luckily it didn't break and I kept it in my pocket ever since. I was planning to get rid of it, but I'm glad that I didn't." Matt turned around to face Lizzie. "This just isn't safe anymore. We're going to have to sleep less and travel faster. If we stay in one place for too long, we'll be found out."  
  
"Yeah...we should find a Pokémon Center and ask for some bikes."  
  
"They have bikes?" Matt asked.  
  
"Well, we'll have to pay a rental fee, but we'll be safer knowing that we'll be traveling at a faster rate," Lizzie replied. "Also, anytime we can't use them anymore to cross the ocean or whatever, we can just drop them off and they'll get transported back!"  
  
"Are you thinking about leaving Indigo?" Matt asked.  
  
"Well, after the Pokémon League. I mean, once we're done here, what's the point in staying, right? Team Rocket is only known to spring up in this league only, right?"  
  
"We don't know for sure," Matt replied. "But we can't stay here."  
  
"Right, now let's keep going."  
  
With Squirtle in Matt's arms, he and Lizzie ran down what they hoped was Route 7. Stopping when their stamina from running got the better of them, they decided to walk the rest of the way. About a half hour later, they found a Pokémon Center resting just in between two large trees, and a forest nearby to that. They quickly entered, hoping they would have bikes.  
  
A Nurse Joy appeared to them at the front desk. "Hello, would you like your Pokémon healed?"  
  
"Sure, although we haven't battled today. Perhaps just check on their condition?" Matt asked.  
  
"Of course, this shouldn't take long," Joy checked the status of Matt and Lizzie's Pokémon on a nearby computer, and fortunately, none of them needed rejuvination. "They're fine. Is there anything else you want?"  
  
"Yes," Lizzie started. "We would like to borrow some bikes, if you have any. Could we possibly take two?"  
  
"Oh? Of course! Nobody's ever used these bikes before. Why don't you take them with you?" Joy asked.  
  
"You mean...without paying a rental fee?" Matt asked. "Are you sure that's all right? I've already gotten into enough trouble with Team Rocket on my tail."  
  
"Oh, trust me, I'm serious! We have about ten bikes, and if there's only two missing, that's no big deal, now is it?"  
  
"I should hope not. How much are they?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Just take them; most of them were given to us as gifts anyway," Joy said. "Not to mention we're in such a secluded area that not many people come here."  
  
"Are you sure?" Matt asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Really? Is it really okay?"  
  
Joy laughed. "Of course, don't worry about it; just take the ones you want, fine tune them a bit, then leave."  
  
"A..all right..." Matt and Lizzie followed Joy who unlocked a door nearby which contained the bicycles inside. It was rather dark inside, but the one that was closest to Matt's height was a red one, and for Lizzie a blue one. It took ten minutes to pump up the tires and raise the seat to their proper heights.  
  
"Okay, let's go!" Lizzie said as Nurse Joy was waving.  
  
"Good! We should only be able to get to Fuchsia in just another day then!" Matt replied.  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	19. Power vs Intelligence

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 19: Power vs. Intelligence  
  
  
  
At a rapid pace, Lizzie and Matt whizzed through Route 7 on their new bikes. Feeling some slight fatigue, they stopped for a temporary rest. After encountering some new Pokémon, Matt was able to capture a Bellsprout and a Weedle, and Lizzie managed to grab a Ditto and Caterpie. Matt checked his Pokédex to see how many Pokémon he has captured.  
  
"Pokémon captured: twenty," the Pokédex replied.  
  
"Twenty? Heh, it seems like I should have a lot more," Matt said.  
  
"That's only two more than I have," Lizzie replied. "But you don't necessarily have to capture Pokémon in order to be 'great' if you ask me. If you're happy with the ones you have, you don't need to capture any more."  
  
"Well, still, at this point, it seems like we should have about thirty, or fourty!"  
  
"It's no big deal. We can always catch more later on, right?"  
  
"I suppose."  
  
"Don't get discouraged. Come, we've been sitting long enough, let's go to Fuchsia. Maybe another couple of hours or so, and we'll be there!"  
  
Matt nodded, and climbed onto his seat, and placed his hand on his lower back, as it seemed to be somewhat uncomfortable. "I don't think that these bikes were a very good idea. I can't get the seat any higher. this is starting to annoy me."  
  
"Hey! It was your idea to travel faster in the first place, was it not?"  
  
"Whatever...we're almost at Fuchsia, right?" Matt asked, as he and Lizzie began peddling again.  
  
Lizzie suddenly stopped on her bike. "Whoa! Wait a minute" she yelled.  
  
Matt then stopped suddenly and turned around. "Huh? What's wrong?"  
  
"Fuchsia?! Why are we going there?! That's not the next gym; we should be going towards Celadon City first, shouldn't we?"  
  
"What?! Damn it, that means we probably already passed it, didn't we?!" Matt pulled out his map. "Good, it's only two hours there. Fuchsia from where we are now is about three hours, I'd guess. Come on, we have to hurry..."  
  
Lizzie let out a sigh. "Thank God. I think we would have had a hard time with the gym leader at Fuchsia."  
  
"I'm not sure if you're serious, but let's go anyway."  
  
Matt and Lizzie changed the direction of their bikes, and made an estimated guess at the direction where they should begin peddling. They then started to peddle east from their current position. Matt in a way liked this change; he hoped that hopefully it would throw off Arrmun and the other Team Rocket members into thinking that they were indeed going to Fuchsia, and perhaps may think that they were already there and left. Surprisingly, Celadon City was not as far off as they originally contemplated. As they continued peddling, they came to a Pokémon Center.  
  
"Oh, hello there!" Nurse Joy said. "What can I do for your two today?" she asked.  
  
"Hello nurse. I was wondering if perhaps you could hold onto these bikes for us for a little while. My friend and I want to challenge the gym leader here," Matt said politely.  
  
"Of course you may. There's a storage room in the back..." Joy pointed.  
  
Matt picked up Squirtle from off of his shoulders and set him down to the floor. "All right, thank you..." Matt and Lizzie began to push their bikes into the storage room.  
  
"However, the cost is 2.50 per user," Joy finished as Lizzie and Matt suddenly stop, surprised by the sudden statement.  
  
Matt took out his wallet and paid for both himself and Lizzie. Afterwards, they both placed their bikes in the storage room and left the Pokémon Center. Matt looked up into the sky. There were many clouds, as the sun only appeared a few times when the clouds shifted. However, it was mostly cloudy, but apparently it was to clear up later in the day.  
  
"I'm almost out of money," Lizzie stated.  
  
"Same with me. I need to start challenging more trainers, and see if I can win some more from them." Matt sniffed the air. "Hey, what's that scent?"  
  
Lizzie smelled the air. "Oh, what is that heavenly odour? " She gasped. "Is it from the famous perfume store? I can't remember the last time I actually bought a bottle of it!"  
  
"Oh, God no," Matt muttered. "We're not going to waste our time staring and sniffing perfume; we came here to earn a badge."  
  
"You're no fun! Come on, we never take the time to actually explore each city. We can go face the gym leader later. Please? Pretty please?" Lizzie begged.  
  
"All right, all right. But don't force me to smell anything that's too strong, all right?"  
  
Lizzie giggled. "Oh, a little perfume won't kill you..."  
  
"As long as none of those knock me out or give me a serious headache."  
  
"Oh, you never want to do anything fun!" Lizzie whined. "Come on, you never seem to want to do anything at all. I'll change that!" Lizzie grabbed Matt's arm and began to drag him.  
  
"Hey, I never said I wouldn't go, and--Whoa! You don't need to pull; I'm capable of walking on my own!" Matt yelled.  
  
"Okay then, I'll take Zenigame with me; you can check out other things at this store." Lizzie took Squirtle as she and Matt enter the large perfume store from where the delightful scent was coming. Instantly, as they enter two women greeted both Lizzie and Matt. To Matt's discomfort, there were only two other people in the store at the time, and that really bothered him.  
  
"Hello there, do you like perfume?" One of the women asked.  
  
"Well actually--" Lizzie began, but was interrupted.  
  
"No, we hate perfume. We really hate it, that's why we're here," Matt replied sarcastically. Under his breath he then muttered: "What a stupid thing to ask...."  
  
Lizzie quickly frowned and with an open palm she smacked Matt over the head. "Oh, don't mind him, he's been strangely bitter the past couple of days."  
  
"Very well, I'll take you this way and you can have that handsome young man there!" One of the workers said.  
  
"Are you coming onto me?" Matt teased.  
  
The other woman laughed. "No, come on. I want to show you some of our products."  
  
"Here we go..." Matt groaned.  
  
The women placed Lizzie and Matt both in chairs next to each other. They each handed them a bottle of the same product. It was in a smooth, glass jar, with a very bizarre photo of a small orange scaled fish-like Pokémon on the front.  
  
Lizzie took a sniff. "This one's pretty nice. What's this called?" she asked, passing it over to Matt.  
  
"That's 'Waters of Magikarp'," one of the women replied. Matt took a sniff and then coughed.   
  
Lizzie laughed. "Matt, you're not supposed to stick it entirely up your nose! Of course you're going to get headaches that way!"  
  
Matt shook his head several times as a chill ran down his spine. "Well, that one has a slight bitterness to it, but it's pretty nice."  
  
"Well, all of the perfume here has an essence of Gloom, so slight bitterness would be expected," one of the women said.  
  
"Gloom? Wait a second, I think I've heard of that before." Matt took out his Pokédex and looked up Gloom.  
  
"Gloom, a Grass-type Pokémon. The fluid that oozes from its mouth is not drool as some believe. It is a nectar that is used to attract prey," the Pokédex explained. A picture of a strange, short round Pokémon whose body was entirely purple, along with a pungent-looking flower growing out from the top of its head.  
  
"That really doesn't explain an awful lot, but I remember that it can release toxic stuff from the flower on top of its head," Matt said.  
  
"No, not toxic, just very foul," a woman explained. "Now, shall we continue?"  
  
"I don't know how much more of this I can take," Matt replied, groaning.  
  
The demonstration of the different types of perfume took only about fifteen minutes. Lizzie really seemed to like the scent of the last three, and decided to buy three bottles out of the several shown. As soon as she paid, Matt and Squirtle exited, while Lizzie was right behind them, looking at the receipt.  
  
Matt frowned. "You really shouldn't waste your money on those, they're really expensive!"  
  
"Hey, can't I treat myself once and a while?!" Lizzie said, somewhat offended. "Besides, I only picked the ones that Zenigame and myself liked!"  
  
"Squirtle!" Squirtle replied.  
  
"Yeah, whatever...you have to remember that we need to save that money for Greatballs and items for healing our Pokémon. You can't just waste it all!" Matt explained.  
  
"Well come on! If you were just on your own with Zenigame here, you'd be even tighter for money! Be thankful there's somebody here that is willing to help!" Lizzie yelled.  
  
"Never mind. You seem too wrapped up in pleasing yourself..." Matt muttered.  
  
"Excuse me? Pleasing myself? Give me a break! I just wanted to treat myself to some of these, and plus, I'm going to send some home for my parents to see. Come on! It's not like I do this constantly. And what business is it of yours what I do with MY money?!" Lizzie faced forward and continued walking, angry.  
  
Matt sighed. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to fall behind on my Pokémon training. You know how important it is to have as many supplies as possible..."  
  
"Matt, we have plenty of money; don't worry about it, okay?" Lizzie yelled.  
  
"You're ticked at me, aren't you?" Matt asked, then smacked his forehead, after asking aloud such a ridiculous, obvious question.  
  
"No, just rather annoyed that you'd treat me that way..." Lizzie muttered.  
  
"Hey, if we had money to burn, that would be all right. But we don't, so I'm only concerned, since only earlier you were the one who said that you were almost out of mone--"  
  
"Let's just drop it, okay? The gym is dead ahead."  
  
To Matt's surprise, the gym as a matter of fact was really close to them. As they approached it, he noticed that most of the building was made out of windows, almost like an office building, but had the appearance of a greenhouse, with many pland inside of it. Upon entering the gym, they were greeted by two more women.  
  
"Hello there, welcome to the Celadon Gym!"  
  
"Do you two like perfume?"  
  
Matt scowled. "How many times are we going to be asked that stupid question?!"  
  
"Yes, we both do," Lizzie replied, elbowing roughly Matt's arm. "My friend here is only limited to a few of the wonderful, vast scents of perfume."  
  
"Limited is right..." Matt muttered.  
  
"Squirtle squirtle squirt!" Squirtle yelled.  
  
"Geez, when did you suddenly get so chatty?" Matt asked, staring down towards his Squirtle. "What, what do you want?"  
  
"Ex-queeze me, but if you don't mind--" one of the women started.  
  
"Did you just say 'Ex-queeze me'?" Matt asked.  
  
"Would you just shut up?!" Lizzie yelled. "God, had I realized you were in such a rotten mood, we could have just stayed at the Pokémon Center for the rest of the day!"  
  
"Who's the one yelling at whom here?" Matt asked in a mocking tone.  
  
The other women both giggled and looked at Matt and Lizzie. Matt crossed his arms and looked in one way, while Lizzie shook her head in disbelief of Matt's attitude.  
  
"Erika!" One of the women called out. "These two here would like a gym battle with you."  
  
"Uh, could they possibly come back later? I'm busy with the garden here." Erika turned around and looked at Matt and Lizzie. Matt then blushed. Staring straight into him was a young woman with dark shoulder-length hair with a bright headband on top of it. She was wearing what seemed to be a kimono; dark red bottoms with a shining white top. "Oh! I thought I've seen you before; I was watching the security videos of you in my perfume store just a short while ago!"  
  
Matt grabbed his head. "Can we PLEASE talk about anything else but perfume right now?! I've smelled so much and the majority has gone to my brain and if I hear ONE last thing concerning perfume I'm gonna--"  
  
"Matt! You're acting like such a child, just shut up already!" Lizzie yelled. "For once, just stop complaining! This is really getting out of hand! You're sixteen for crying out loud! Do you know how ridiculous you're acking?!"  
  
"How can I when the scent has gone to my brain?" Matt muttered, still holding his head.  
  
"Uh...it would be best if you came back in a few more minutes; it shouldn't take much longer. Please wait in the lobby," Erika replied, turning back to her work.  
  
Matt, Lizzie and Squirtle sat themselves on a bench in a separate room. Matt and Lizzie refused to say anything to each other, and Squirtle was just trying to relax. Matt then looked around; the ceiling was high, which was also made out of glass. Tress rested in every corner of the room, with several plants on many tables in a soft-carpeted room. After a few minutes, he took out his Pokédex and began pressing random commands.  
  
"Bored?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Yeah, I thought that I'd explore the Pokédex more," Matt replied. "One fire-type only? That'll be difficult to back up."  
  
"Hey, I only have one Fire Pokémon, too!" Lizzie replied. "What else are grass-type Pokémon weak against?" Lizzie asked.  
  
Matt punched in some more buttons. "It says that its main weakness is just Fire-type Pokémon, but still, I'll have to back it up with something quick. Zubat should do the trick. Zubat and Pikachu."  
  
"Sandshrew and Zubat will be my back-up," Lizzie said, then looking back towards the entrance to the room. "I wonder if she's finished yet?"  
  
"Does it matter? I'd prefer that we waited a little longer. My head's thumping too hard."  
  
"Matt, don't over-exaggerate. There's no way that perfume could give you a headache for that long." Lizzie said.  
  
"How do you know? Perfume never sits well with me. Oh...I'm feeling rather sick. I almost feel that..." Matt trailed off.  
  
"You gonna be okay?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"I need a drink..." Matt pulled out a cold bottle of water from his backpack and started to drink from it. After drinking the whole thing, he sighed contentedly. "That's a little bit better."  
  
"Excuse me, you two?" one of the women asked, re-entering the room. "Erika is ready to battle now. Which one of you two will fight first?"  
  
"I'll go," Matt replied, standing up. He and Lizzie were lead down past many gardens before finally entering the battling room. It was like all of the other gyms, Matt noticed. A large room with a solid, wooden floor to battle. Of course, except for Pewter City, which used rock, and Cerulian City, which was mostly water-based. Matt entered the gym battle grounds and already had his first Pokémon in hand.  
  
Erika looked at Matt. "Well, shall we go?"  
  
Matt nodded. "Bring it on...."  
  
"Weepinbell, go!" Erika tossed a Pokéball as a strange, long yellow Pokémon with two large leaves which seemed to be as its hands. Its face also seemed to act as its body, as it had drooping eyes, and its mouth seemed to be shaped like a flower.  
  
Matt tossed the Pokéball in hand. "Pikachu, go!"  
  
"Weepinbell, Vine Whip!" Erika commanded.  
  
The instant Pikachu appeared onto the battlefield, two vines extended themselves from the Weepinbell, as Pikachu was struck sharply across the face. After what seemed to be a disastrous couple of seconds, Matt was ready to counter.  
  
"Pikachu, Agility," Matt replied calmly. "If I remain calm, then my Pokémon won't feel that there's a problem."  
  
Pikachu quickly jumped up to his feet and began to dash around Weepinbell consistently and at a rapid pace. Weepinbell became slightly dizzy following Pikachu, and lost its balance, due to its dizziness.  
  
"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Matt yelled.  
  
Pikachu stopped in its tracks and stuck Weepinbell hard, causing it to leave the ground before hitting it again roughly. It was no longer moving.  
  
"Return..." Erika absorbed Weepinbell back inside its Pokéball. "Well, you seem to use power over intelligence. This will be one of your downfalls. Let's go, Tangela!" Erika tossed another Pokéball as a very strange Pokémon that semed to be only made up with vines appeared. The only thing Matt could make out was its eyes and its feet.  
  
"What the?" Matt pulled out his Pokédex.  
  
"Tangela, a Grass-type Pokémon. The whole body is swathed with wide vines that are similar to seaweed. Its vines shake as it walks," the Pokédex explained.  
  
"This thing is useless!" Matt muttered, putting the Pokédex away.  
  
"Tangela, Poison Powser!" Erika yelled.  
  
Tangela quickly jumped and spread out some bizarre, shining power all over Pikachu, poisoning it. Pikachu began coffing, and its balance became very hindered and shakey  
  
"Come back, Pikachu!" Matt sucked Pikachu back into its Pokéball. He then looked at the other two Pokémon that he had. "Zubat or Charmeleon. Perhaps I shouldn't save the best for last in this one; it may get beaten. But on the other hand, if Zubat weakens the other ones enough, Charmeleon could finish it." Matt thought hard. But after hard thinking, he sent out Zubat. "Zubat, Flash Attack!" Matt yelled.  
  
Upon its entrance into the battlefield, Zubat quickly swooped down from the air and struck Tangela from behind, surprising it. It was trying to stay on its feet as Zubat returned in the air, waiting for its next command.  
  
"Supersonic!" Matt commanded.  
  
Zubat quickly targeted Tangela in its sights again, and quickly released everal mind-altering waves. In its new-found confusion, Tangela struck itself hard, and collapsed to the ground, struggling to get up.  
  
"Come back, Tangela!" Erika yelled, calling back her Pokémon. "Well, it looks like I have to use my best Pokémon. This battle won's last for much longer. Go, Gloom!" Erika shouted, releasing a Pokémon which Matt hoped he would never have to see.  
  
"Oh, hell. If Zubat gets caught in a foul scent like that..." Matt shuddered. "Better make this quick. Leech Life!"  
  
Zubat once again swooped down from the air above and sank its teeth into the back of the Gloom, in an attempt to absorb some of its energy. Unfortunately, the attack wasn't very effective. It gave up, returning to the sky.  
  
"Gloom, Acid," Erika commanded.  
  
From the flower on its back, a strange, thick, black fluid was launched, stricking Zubat from point blank. The fluid completely consumed Zubat, as it was now starting to fall. It then collided roughtly in the ground, and stopped moving.  
  
"Damn it! Return!" Matt called back Zubat inside its Pokéball and placed it back onto his belt. "Well then, I think it's time to put an end to this. Charmelon, let's go!" Matt threw an enlarged Pokéball onto the field.  
  
"A fire-type?! Gloom, put it out with a Solar Beam!" Erika yelled.  
  
"Don't think you'll have enough time for that! Charmeleon, Fire Blast!" Matt quickly yelled.  
  
Both Charmeleon and Gloom powered up their special attacks quickly, and jolting their heads forward, they launched it at each other consecutively. As both attacks struck, there was a large explosion, only to leave everybody's vision clouded in smoke. It was impossible to see what was taking place on the battlefield.  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	20. A Supreme Battle

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 20: A Supreme Battle  
  
  
  
Matt covered his eyes. He then coughed a little bit. As he uncovered his eyes, he noticed that both Charmeleon and Gloom have both fallen over, and neither of them was moving. "Are...are they both down?"  
  
Erika shook her head. "I have no idea..."  
  
"I don't think that it was due to their attacks. They ran into each other, unless they both took huge blows from the impact."  
  
Suddenly, Charmeleon slowly pulled itself to its feet slowly, breathing heavily.  
  
"Charmeleon's still awake!" Matt said, pointing.  
  
Erika's eyes widened, looking to see if her Gloom would rise to its feet, however, it continued to be still, unconscious. "Well, I guess you win then." She tossed to Matt a shining, multi-coloured badge. "There you go, your very own Rainbow Badge!" Erika smiled.  
  
Matt placed it in the leather bag along with his other badges. "That was really tough, but I thought it was rather entertaining!"  
  
"That's what I thought too!" a deep voice yelled. Matt and Erika looked around, but found nobody. "It seems that you're a much stronger trainer than I thought you'd be!" Suddenly, the person stepped out into the open. It was Arrmun. "Well, we meet again! It seems like destiny is always bringing us together."  
  
Matt's face turned a deep red, as the sight of this person made him very angry. He then released an exasperated sigh. "Why can't you just go the hell away?! No wait, actually, why do you even bother coming back?! Don't you think after failing twice you'd at least stop?!"  
  
Arrmun shook his head, then grinned. "That would be impossible, dear boy, for as you can see, I can never be beaten. I have never been beaten. The only way you can get rid of me is if you just completely give up."  
  
Erika took a step forward. "Look here, Team Rocket, don't plan on stealing any Pokémon. We don't act very kindly to thieves!"  
  
"Is there anybody who does?" Matt muttered.  
  
Squirtle, who also turned red with anger, stepped from behind Matt and stood beside Charmeleon in a confident pose.  
  
"And I don't like people who try to disobey my orders," Arrmun replied, catching Erika in the corner of his eye.  
  
"What orders?!" Matt snapped.  
  
"It's quite simple, really. If you give me your Pokémon, I might let you live."  
  
"Shut up, just shut up!" Matt shouted, becoming very frustrated. "You know what? Why don't you get a real job for crying out loud!"  
  
Arrmun frowned. "Well, it appears that I've awoken the savage beast again. Will you try to kill me again, like last time?"  
  
Matt slammed his foot on the ground. "Don't even THINK of trying my patience! Look, my Pokémon aren't THAT hard to find! Just get your ugly face out of here! Nobody wants to see you here at all!"  
  
Arrmun shook his head. "It's too bad. I would have gone easy on you. But I suppose because of your negative attitude, I'm going to have to turn things up a notch." He took out three Pokéballs. "Here are some of my strongest Pokémon. You shouldn't struggle against them; it will be such an easy battle." He threw all three as a Dragonite, Lickitung and Porygon appeared. The Porygon Matt recognized, however, the large, pink Pokémon with a long, thick tongue was one had had not yet seen, along with the large, yellow dragon, with a pale-scaled belly with large wings and a tail which could be used as a weapon in itself.  
  
"The Porygon again. Well then, we'll just have to turn things up as well. Onix, it's time for action!" Matt tossed an enlarged Greatball as Onix appeared next to Charmeleon. "Just his and Charmeleon's power won't be enough. We'll also need Pikachu!" He tossed the enlarged Pokéball as Pikachu also appeared beside Charmeleon. "This is the end of the line Team Rocket, I'm going to stop you once and for all! And this time, I won't back down even if I have to kill you. Zenigame, get back here."  
  
Erika looked at Matt. "What kind of grudge are you holding against him if you're not even going to hesitate to lead him into death?"  
  
Matt watched Squirtle return to him before looking back at Erika. "He already tried to steal my friend's strong, rare Pokémon, not to mention he himself tried to kill us."  
  
Arrmun smirked. "You think that those Pokémon can beat my superiour ones? Think again!"  
  
"STOP!" A voice yelled. Matt turned around. Lizzie jumped between Matt's and Arrmun's Pokémon. "Don't, don't fight anymore! Stop it!"  
  
"Fool...get out of the way, or you'll surely get brutally injured," Arrmun harshly spoke, as if he was hissing the order.  
  
"Lizzie, step aside! Our last battle isn't finished, and I'm going to put a stop to this once and for all!" Matt clenched a fist.  
  
At that point, Erika jumped in beside Lizzie. "She's right, stop this! Senseless fighting will only lead to more senseless fighting; this is enough!" She took her communicator and called other women in. "No battles other than challenging the gym leader are permitted!"  
  
"Don't even think of holding us back! This battle is my fight! Don't interfere!" Matt yelled.  
  
"Squirtle!" Squirtle jumped on top of Matt's shoulder. "Squirtle, squirtle! Squirt squirtle squirt!"  
  
"My Zenigame agrees with me! Step aside and let us finish this!" Matt yelled. "If you don't move, I won't hesitate to begin!"  
  
"Matt!" Lizzie exclaimed. "You're letting your anger go to your head again! Two wrongs don't make a right, don't you understand that?! Don't you care that these other people care for you?!"  
  
"Caring? For me? What the hell are you trying to convince to me?!" Matt pointed to the sidelines. "Step aside right now; I don't want to see you get hurt."  
  
"For once, I agree with the kid," Arrmun replied, putting on black gloves.  
  
"Okay, fine, but please Matt, know when to draw the line," Lizzie pleaded.  
  
"I'll do my best." He bowed his head as everyone walked to the sidelines. He then raised his head with an ambitious look in his eyes. "All right guys battle formation! Onix, in the back! Pikachu, Charmeleon, fight back-to-back! Let's go!"  
  
"Well, a battle strategy," Arrmun said, smirking. "Doesn't matter. Dragonite will take all three of them out. Dragonite, let's go!"  
  
Dragonite spread its wings and hovered over the Lickitung and Porygon. After passing them in the air, it allowed itself to drop onto the battlefield, creating a tremor which sounded like a blast of thunder.  
  
"Dragonite, Slam," Arrmun commanded.  
  
"Charmeleon, Flame Thrower. Pikachu, Agility!" Matt commanded.  
  
Pikachu darted around the Dragonite at a rapid pace, distracting it for a brief second as Charmeleon launched forward a stream of scorching flames. Dragonite leaped to the side, avoiding the attack, but as it landed, it created another small tremor, causing Pikachu to lose its balance and tumble hard on the gym floor. Pikachu slowly rose to its feet.  
  
Matt's eyes began to glow with anxiety. He then let out a yell. "Charmeleon, Rage!"  
  
Charmeleon took a look at its trainer by the corner of his eye and let out a smirk. It then faced the Dragonite and began attacking it fiercly, letting out one furious physical attack after another. Charmeleon continued to strike Dragonite around and managed to drain most of its energy. Charmeleon then laid the finishing blow, by striking Dragonite with its tail. Dragonite fell over, completely unconscious as Arrmun called it back.  
  
Arrmun then snarled angrily. "It's unfortunate that I'm going easy on you. But I'm not going to do anymore clowning around. Porygon, it's your turn!"  
  
Porygon jumped out into the battlefield.  
  
Matt took a deep breath. "All right, Onix, your turn to shine!"  
  
Onix slid out in front of the Porygon and attempted to intimidate it by growling loudly. Porygon did not lose its concentration and continued to remain in its battle pose.  
  
"Porygon, Tri Attack," Arrmun said calmly.  
  
Porygon's body flashed twice, without either Matt or Onix knowing what it was doing. It then quickly launched three full-thrown body attacks at the Onix, which only caused it to flinch slightly; the attacks themselves did little damage.  
  
"Onix, use Bind!" Matt commanded.  
  
Onix swung its tail around and wrapped it around Porygon tightly. It then tightened its grip and began to squeeze even harder. After a while, Onix let go of the Porygon, who seemed to receive very little damage.  
  
"Porygon, Psy Beam," Arrmun replied.  
  
Porygon quickly charged a beam from its beak and quickly launched it toward Onix, who released a growl of pain, and almost collapsed onto the battlefield below, though it did manage to stay on its feet.  
  
"Another one," Arrmun commanded.  
  
"Onix, Rock Throw!" Matt replied.  
  
Since its resources were limited, Onix threw towards the Porygon several plants and trees, to the disgust of Erika and the other workers. Porygon countered with another energy blast, as both attacks caused harm to both Pokémon, causing them both to collapse at the moment.  
  
"Well, it looks like I have one left standing. Let's go, Lickitung!" Arrmun commanded as Lickitung stepped forward. "Lickitung, Wrap!" he quickly yelled.  
  
Lickitung stuck its long tongue and wrapped Charmeleon with it completely. Charmeleon tried several attempts to break free but Lickitung continued to hold it until Charmeleon nearly passed out. Matt eventually grew frustrated, and called it back inside of its Pokéball..  
  
"That leaves just Pikachu..." Matt looked at his small companion. He then sighed. "That's enough, I give up. Here, take ALL of my Pokémon." Matt walked up and prepared his Pokéballs and Greatballs.  
  
Lizzie ran up. "Matt, what are you doing?!"  
  
"Well, I never thought that you'd do such a thing. But if you're being nice enough, I suppose I could allow something like this to happen. It's about time you saw who the better trainer was."  
  
Matt smirked. "Zenigame, Hydro Pump."  
  
Squirtle, who was attached to Matt's back quickly jumped up and blasted several large streams of water at both Lickitung and Arrmun. Lickitung seemed to have slightly drowned as it passed out. Arrmun was absolutely enraged.  
  
"You dare?! I should have known better! No matter, I'll still use Magmar!" Arrmun tossed out another Pokéball. Onto the field, a large, yellow Pokémon with the bill of a duck appeared, with long, sharp claws, and a long, sad face.  
  
"Are you going to keep going until all of your Pokémon are worn out?!" Matt exclaimed. "There's no need for this; take that thing away and get the hell out of here!"  
  
"You've seemed to have forgotten, I NEVER lose! Magmar, use Fire Punch!"  
  
Magmar quickly caught Squirtle in its eyes; it had found its new target. Suddenly, it charged up two balls of fire rising from its own fists, and was prepared to toss them. Squirtle stood still, grinning, almost daring the Magmar to attempt its attack.  
  
"Go, Articuno!" Lizzie tossed a Greatball as Articuno appeared, flying around in the sky. Magmar suddenly stopped its attack, as both fireballs from its fists vanished. Its eyes widened, as if it was afraid of the large creature soaring above it.  
  
"Articuno, Ice Beam!"  
  
"NO!" Arrmun yelled. "Stop! I demand that you cancel that attack! Magmar will suffer from severe hypothermia if you continue with such an attack!"  
  
"Hold back, and I won't use it!" Lizzie yelled.  
  
Arrmun stood there for several seconds thinking. He then sighed and called back Magmar inside before calling back all of his other Pokémon. "All right. I may have lost this time. But mark my words, I WILL capture your rare Pokémon!" With that he dashed through Erika and her assistants, leaving.  
  
Matt stood still, dumbfounded, staring at the two assistants. "What in the hell are you standing around for?! Capture him, or something!"  
  
The two assistants suddenly shrieked and realized that what Matt said was true; he was getting away. Lizzie then called Articuno back inside its Greatball and walked towards Matt, as he was absorbing both Pikachu and Onix back inside their Pokéballs.  
  
"Here you go," Erika stepped up, handing Lizzie a Rainbow Badge.  
  
"What are you doing?! I haven't fought you in a gym match yet! I can't accept that!"  
  
"It doesn't matter. By holding a Legendary Bird, I wouldn't have had such a chance against such a powerful Pokémon. Here..." Erika extended her hand.  
  
"Look, I have already taken at least a few gym badges without fighting. Please let me fight you."  
  
"You won't have to. I have already looked at your Pokémon's statistics. It would clearly outlast all of my Pokémon, even if they haven't already battled. Take it. Please."  
  
Lizzie sighed. "All right. But I hope you realize how guilty you're making me feel!"  
  
Erika giggled. "Don't be. You would have won regardless. Not to mention you did buy a fair amount of perfume from us today; consider this a free gift!"  
  
"Well, shall we go to Fuchsia then? Matt asked.  
  
"Yes. Let's pick up our bikes at the Pokémon Center and go!"  
  
Matt, Lizzie and Squirtle returned to the Pokémon Center to pick up their bikes. Once there, they heard a familiar voice. "You two ARE here!" he exclaimed.  
  
Matt and Lizzie turned around as suddenly large smiles appeared on their face. It was Jordan. They both ran to greet him.  
  
"I was thinking that I wouldn't see you two again! How have you been doing?"  
  
"Well, we managed to get more Pokémon, and badges to boot!" Lizzie said.  
  
"Really? By yourselves? Wow, I'm surprised you did it without my guidance!" Jordan teased.  
  
"What are you talking about? You've never given us any tips, or advice. Lizzie and myself are capable of doing it on our own," Matt replied. "So, how long have you been here?"  
  
"I've been following your routes ever since Team Rocket broke us up at the tournament. I was hoping that one of us could have gotten that prize. But that's life. So, found any hidden gyms lately?" Jordan asked.  
  
"Actually, we've stopped looking. They're taking up too much time to look for..." Matt said. "Besides, we've already collected seven badges in total."  
  
"Well, to be honest I have just clarified that both hidden gyms were found that hold both the Blue and Red Crystal Badges. You guys have actually found them both in Indigo," Jordan replied. "Very few trainers were actually able to find them."  
  
"Wow, and they're both really close together, too." Matt said.  
  
"So you mean the others are out in the other leagues?" Lizzie asked. "Geez, you're right, it probably would take a lifetime to find them all."  
  
"Maybe after we finish our business here at the Indigo League, we could go looking for Crystal Badges from the other leagues in the world?"  
  
"I don't know if you'd want to do that," Jordan said. "You're still young trainers; to suddenly go out and go out on a journey which could take you a lifetime could be very tiring. You should try out other leagues, first."  
  
"I don't mind."  
  
"Well, if you two are ready to jump the gun after the Indigo League, you could always go to the Island of Fenyuu. The island's so big that it contains over forty gyms," Jordan explained. "It will require a lot of hard work and dedication to get in, but with the way you two are, it shouldn't be that difficult to you."  
  
"That's a good idea. But now, we're going on to Fuchsia Gym."  
  
Matt and Lizzie allowed their Pokémon to be rejuvinated as they took out their bikes. Jordan also took out the one that he borrowed from the previous Pokémon Center. After taking a few minutes to purchase some more supplies they were on their way, searching for Route 7.  
  
"Elite Four members must have such a handsome salary," Lizzie commented.  
  
"Heh. Technically, that is true, though, Lizzie. But the thing is, I haven't gotten anything ever since I was kicked out of the Elite Four. I think with all the money I have here, I'm set pretty much for life."  
  
"Wow..." Matt commented. "You okay back there, Zenigame?" Matt asked, looking behind his shoulder for a brief second.  
  
Squirtle nodded.  
  
"Look out, leaders of the Fuchsia, we're coming."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	21. Bugged Out

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 21: Bugged Out  
  
  
  
Matt, Lizzie, Squirtle and Jordan, who recently joined up with the two trainers again, were peddling on their way to Fuchsia gym. For Matt who had just won a badge against Erika in Celadon City and had a very intense battle with Arrmun; he felt ready to face the leader of Fuschia gym. After peddling for an hour, they decided to stop for a while to look for some Pokémon to add to their collection.  
  
Matt spotted one in the bushes. "Hey, I found one! Hey! It's a bird Pokémon!" He opened the Pokédex and analyzed it.  
  
"Farfetch'd. A bird Pokémon. The green onion it holds is its weapon. It is used much like a metal sword. However, fewer of these Pokémon are seen since they are now an endangered species," the Pokédex explained.  
  
"Wow, this is the first time I've actually seen this type of Pokémon! Well, I'll just capture this and we'll be on our way. Pikachu, let's go!" Matt released Pikachu from its Pokéball. "Let's make this quick. Thundershock!"  
  
Pikachu charged up its cheeks and launched forth electricity towards the bird Pokémon. The Farfetch'd managed to block most of it with the onion it was holding, but did take some heavy damage. It let out a squawk and struck Pikachu with its onion.  
  
"This one isn't ready to quit. Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Matt commanded.  
  
Pikachu regained its stamina and quickly launched forward, striking the Farfetch'd. Matt, with a Greatball in hand, tossed it at the Farfetch'd for a capture.  
  
"All right, there's another one!" Matt yelled. The Greatball then transported itself back to Professor Oak's laboratory.  
  
"Pika!" Pikachu replied in victory.  
  
When Matt returned to their temporary resting spot, he found both Lizzie and Jordan returning from their Pokémon hunt as well. "Hey! What did you manage to get?" Matt asked.  
  
"I managed to find some bug Pokémon!" Lizzie said. "I grabbed a Beedrill and a Kakuna."  
  
"I only found Pokémon that I already have. Are you two interested in fishing for certain Pokémon?" Jordan asked.  
  
"Yeah. But we don't have any fishing rods," Matt replied.  
  
"Well, when we get into town, we should think about getting some," Lizzie replied, picking up her bike which was resting against the tree and hopping on. Matt and Jordan placed up the kick-stands from their bikes as they also hopped on.  
  
"Okay, Zenigame is properly placed, let's go!" Matt started to peddle as everybody followed behind him.  
  
"Oh...I still feel guilty," Lizzie began. "I mean, I was ready to fight her, but her claiming that her Pokémon alone wouldn't beat me just sounded like a way of getting out of it."  
  
"Hey. If you're feeling so bad about it, why don't you face Fuchsia's leader first? And Jordan, how much further do we have to go?" Matt asked.  
  
Jordan looked ahead. "We're almost there! We can slow down a little bit, because I remember there being a large hill that slopes down. But we'll have to go one at a time because it's rather steep but very narrow!"  
  
"All right. I'll go first!" Lizzie said, peddling ahead of Jordan and Matt. "I'll know it when I see it..."  
  
In just a few minutes, the long slope was revealed. Instead of slowing down, Lizzie decided to increase the speed of her peddling as she zoomed down the hill at an incredible speed and slamming her hands on the brakes near the bottom as she stopped, nearly crashing into the gym's walls.  
  
At the top of the hill both Matt and Jordan slowed down and looked at Lizzie, who was just getting off her bike. "Lizzie, are you insane?! At the speed you were going, slamming your brakes you would have flown completely off your bike had it been a little steeper! That wasn't very smart," Jordan said.  
  
"You guys are a bunch of wusses! Now hurry up, I'm getting lonely down here."  
  
Matt rolled his eyes as he slowly descended down the hill and met up with Lizzie. Jordan was next to go as he easily came to a stop. Everybody set their kick-stands as the bikes would stand on their own, yet they leaned them against the building in case they fell.  
  
Lizzie looked around. "Is THIS all that Fuchsia is? A gym? I don't see a town here!"  
  
Matt pulled out his map and looked. "Fuchsia...Fuchsia, ah! Found it! Yeah, there's supposed to be a city here, but the gym is actually on the outskirs, which is where we are now. I'm not sure, should we face the leader right away, or make a pitstop at the Pokémon Center to drop off our bikes?"  
  
"I don't think anybody would want to steal bikes like these. Let's just go inside..." Jordan said, starting to move ahead.  
  
"Hey, if we lose these bikes, we'll have to walk constantly, come on! We'll take them with us," Lizzie suggested.  
  
"Hmm..." Matt looked around the corner before returning. He noticed that the gym looked like a classic dojo; thin wooden walls, with monuments, and a decorative roof. "Where's the entrance to this place?"  
  
Lizzie looked around the corner and pointed. "It's this way. Let's go." Lizzie walked towards the entrance as Jordan followed. Matt picked up Squirtle and followed Jordan into the building.  
  
As they entered, they saw an empty room with very few windows. After looking around a little bit, Matt got confused. "There's nobody here. Perhaps the gym leader's out to lunch or something?" Matt asked.  
  
"Now I remember!" Jordan yelled. "I remember that one of these gyms has hidden rooms and invisible walls. I think this is it. Why else would it look so huge, outside?"  
  
Matt pushed a small part of the wall as it turned. "Guys! I found a secret room!"  
  
Everyone ran to him. Matt began to walk forward. There was then a loud bang as he jumped back and grabbed his nose.  
  
"OUCH! Damn it, that hurt!" Matt rubbed his nose.  
  
"Didn't I tell you to watch out for invisible walls?!" Jordan exclaimed.  
  
"Shut up, shut up! By speaking that quickly and with that tone of voice, ANYBODY is entitled to forget!" Matt stopped rubbing.  
  
"God, you're acting like such a baby! Is there any way around this wall?" Lizzie asked.  
  
Matt put out his hands and slid along the wall. "No, unless there's another secret door around here, we won't be able to go anywhere."  
  
Jordan started to push a wall. "I found another one!" He pushed it down as they were all hit with a beam of sunlight.  
  
Lizzie shielded her eyes. "Ack! What's that?!"  
  
Matt took a peek. "It's a trap! Nobody move!"  
  
As everybody let their eyes settle to the light, they all got a good look around them. What was ahead of them was a great view above the rest of the forest, and all of Fuchsia City. However, one step down would lead to one's death; as it was a straight drop.  
  
"A cliff?! Here?!" Lizzie jumped back, leaning against the opposite wall.  
  
"Is this guy insane?! People could get killed! It frightens me to think about how many have actually fallen off here!" Jordan shouted, taking a few steps back.  
  
"Okay, now we know where NOT to press for secret entrances," Matt said. He then looked to make sure that Squirtle was nearby. He was right by his feet, as he was the entire time they've been inside the gym.  
  
Matt, Jordan and Lizzie continued to look around the dojo, which now received a little bit of lighting with the wall leading to a drop being pushed away. They searched everywhere that they could, trying to avoid the wall which Jordan searched.  
  
Lizzie tapped a wall. "Hmm, this one seems loose..." she started to bang on it with her shoulder a couple of times, when finally, the wall collapsed, and Lizzie falling with it.  
  
"Lizzie!" Matt attempted to grab Lizzie just before she fell, however he missed. "Are you all right?"  
  
Lizzie pulled herself to her feet and dusted herself off. "Phew! Yeah, thanks!" She smiled.  
  
"Good job!" Jordan said as he walked forward slowly into the large room which was just recently opened.  
  
"Another large room?" Matt asked, somewhat perplexed.  
  
"Careful!" Jordan yelled. "There could be invisible walls or trap doors here!"  
  
The trio began to walk slowly through the room, extending their arms to prevent from banging into invisible walls. Strangely enough, there were none.  
  
"None. Well, that's kinda what I was expecting..." Lizzie said. "It seems to me like this itself could be the battlefield, unless I'm mistaken."  
  
"Keep checking the walls for other rooms," Jordan said, as Matt and Lizzie spread out. "If this certainly was the battlefield, the gym leader would have been here, without a doubt."  
  
Matt moved to one corner of the room, which had a layout exactly the same as the other rooms. He tapped on the walls gently, until suddenly, a wall collapsed right in front of him, along with a huge, round ball which looked similar to an extremely large Pokéball. It had two very big, very mischievous-looking eyes.  
  
"Vol-torb..." the Pokémon screeched.  
  
"GEEZ!" Matt jumped back, completely surprised and startled by the sudden entrance of the Pokémon. His landing was rough, he lost balance and landed roughly on the wooden floor. "What the...what the hell is that thing?!"  
  
"Matt! Careful! That's a Voltorb; they can explode!" Jordan yelled.  
  
"WHAT?!" Matt jumped to his feet and began to run towards the entrance of the room. The Voltorb followed him, which caused Matt to panick. "Somebody stop this thing! It's following me!"  
  
"If it's wild, you can catch it! Use your Pokédex!" Lizzie yelled.  
  
Matt turned around, backing away from the Voltorb as he took out his Pokédex and pointed it at it.  
  
"Voltorb, an electric Pokémon. These Pokémon are usually found in power plants. They are also often mistaken for a Pokéball, therefore, they have injured many people," the Pokédex explained. Matt pressed some buttons, trying to find its original trainer. "Original Trainer, Koga."  
  
"How in the hell could you confuse something that big for a Pokéball?" Jordan asked. "I tell you, some of the information they put on that Pokédex is weird."  
  
"Koga? Is this the gym's leader?" Matt asked, continuously backing away. He was then backed into a corner, with the Voltorb continuing to approach him, starting to release some sparks from its circular body. "Get away! Damn it, can one of you help me here?!"  
  
"Articuno, go!" Lizzie released Articuno. "Ice Beam attack!" she yelled.  
  
Articuno charged a freezing energy blast within its beak, then launched its head forward, stricking the Voltorb perfectly. There was a slight bang, as Matt shielded his eyes. When he removed them, the Voltob was completely sealed in a large block of ice.  
  
Matt then let out a deep sigh and fell, with his back leaning against the wall, on the floor, taking deep breaths. "That was scary...." He then pulled himself up. "Thanks, Lizzie."  
  
"Hey, we're even now..." Lizzie called back Articuno back inside his Pokéball.  
  
"Even? You mean you would have let me suffer on my own?"  
  
"No, I would have done it anyways! Sheesh, have a little faith in me!"  
  
"Are you two together yet?" Jordan teased, laughing. Matt and Lizzie both suddenly started to blush. He laughed again. "Heh, I guess leaving you two on your own was the best idea I've ever had!"  
  
"We got separated, you idiot!" Matt shouted. "You didn't plan this, or are you saying you're part of Team Rocket?"  
  
"Whoa! Whoa! Slow down! Can't I tease?"  
  
"Oh...so we DO have company..." a deep voice echoed from somewhere. Everybody looked around, but nobody could find the source of the voice. "Wow, you're the first group to find this room so quickly in a long time. Another one was several years ago, who used to be a member of the Elite Four. I don't know where he is now."  
  
"Must I get mentioned wherever I go?" Jordan muttered.  
  
"Not you," the voice replied, suddenly entering the room. He was dressed in a long, blue gi, with gloves which left his fingers and open palms bare. A small red scarf covered his neck. His face was stern, with cold, black eyes. His hair was tall, spiky and black. "I'm talking about Lilaine. She is one level higher than you, is she not?" he asked.  
  
Jordan turned red suddenly and grew angry. "Do not speak of that name in my presence. Please, this is all I ask. I wish to hear nothing more from that cheater."  
  
"Sour grapes?" Koga asked, in a mocking tone. "Regardless, I assume that you three came because some of you wished to challenge me. Which one of you will be first?"  
  
Matt whipped out a Pokéball. "Me--" he then stopped. "No wait...I promised that Lizzie could go first!"  
  
"No, I'll go next, don't worry about it," Lizzie replied.  
  
"Are you sure?" Matt asked.  
  
"Yeah. You seem all ready to fight him; look at you, you're all pumped, you're ready, and anxious to get it over with. You're always the one who wants to jump into battle right away."  
  
"Uh..." was all that could come out of Matt's mouth. He wasn't sure whether to be flattered by that remark, or insulted. He continued to stare at Lizzie, almost waiting for some kind of explanation.  
  
"Just go, already."  
  
"Very well. This will be a two on two match. We'll make it nice and quick. Let's start out with...Venonat!" Koga released his Pokéball., suddenly a small, dark, bushy Pokémon with two big red bug-eyes and small antennae appeared onto the battlefield.  
  
"A bug Pokémon, eh? Bugs hate fire." Matt pulled out a Pokéball from his belt and enlarged it, throwing it onto the battlefield. "Charmeleon, you seem to be getting a lot of battle experience lately, so this shouldn't be too tough for you. Let's go!"  
  
Both Pokémon stared at each other on the battlefield. Charmeleon was pleased; it never had this many opportunities to battle previously.  
  
"Fire Pokémon; how predictable. Venonat! Confusion!"  
  
"Charmeleon! Careful!" Matt yelled out.  
  
The Venonat bounced around, and released very bizarre waves around Charmeleon. It wasn't certain how to react, so it took the attack head on. When the attack was finished, its mind was altered, and it became baffled.  
  
"This is bad. Charmeleon, try a Flamethrower!" Matt asked.  
  
Charmeleon spun around several times and began firing random streams of fire; none of them even close to striking distance of its opponent. The Venonat then saw an opportunity to strike, and clung itself onto Charmeleon's back, sinking its teeth deep into it. It absorbed the remainder of its energy, as Charmeleon collapsed hard onto the gym floor, and was not moving.  
  
"Damn it. Charmeleon was my best chance. Whatever, return!" Charmeleon was called back inside its Pokémon. "It looks like I'll have to try another Pokémon. Let's go, Zenigame!"  
  
"Squirtle!" Squirtle jumped into the battlefield.  
  
"Zenigame, Water Gun!" Matt commanded.  
  
Squirtle fired a stream of water, which struck the Venonat, irritating it slightly, however doing no other major damage.  
  
"Venonat, Stun Spore!"  
  
"Zenigame! jump into your shell!"  
  
Venonat jumped around, sending forth some strange, purple-coloured powder. Matt's quick reaction allowed Squirtle to jump and hide from inside its shell. It avoided the attack this way, and remained safe for the time being.  
  
"Ha! Zenigame, Skull Bash!" Matt commanded.  
  
Squirtle popped out of his shell and launched itself forward from the gym floor. Its hard head connected directly with the Venonat, sending it tumbling and crashing hard into the gym floor. It was not moving.  
  
"Good job." Koga called back his Pokémon and took out another Pokéball. "Voltorb, go!" He released the Pokéball from his hand as Voltorb appeared.  
  
"Oh, God, this can't be good," Matt muttered. "If...if I call back Zenigame, I'll lose. But,if Zenigame gets struck by the Pokémon blowing itself up, the match will be called a draw. I don't want to risk that, but what am I going to do?"  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	22. Team Rocket Gets the Advantage

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 22: Team Rocket Gets the Advantage  
  
  
  
"Oh, God, this can't be good," Matt muttered. "If...if I call back Zenigame, I'll lose. But,if Zenigame gets struck by the Pokémon blowing itself up, the match will be called a draw. I don't want to risk that, but what am I going to do?"  
  
"Let's end this quickly," Koga began. "Voltorb, give it a Thundershock."  
  
"What the...?! It knows electric attacks?! Zenigame, quickly, Skull Bash!" Matt yelled.  
  
Voltorb charged up to fire an electric attack, but Squirtle quickly launched itself from where it landed after its previous attack, stricking Voltorb roughtly with its head. Voltorb was sent rolling, hitting the gym floor a little bit roughly, but because its body was a perfect sphere, it was able to roll, absorbing some of the collision with relative ease.  
  
"A Voltorb doesn't normally learn electric attacks. Koga must have taught it to use it," Jordan replied.  
  
"Huh? How could Koga do that?" Lizzie asked. "I know Matt taught his Zubat a technique, but it was pretty much based on what it already knew."  
  
"With a Technical Machine, or T.M.," Jordan replied. "It's basically an item that allows certain Pokémon to learn certain moves. You need to be careful which Pokémon you want to learn with certain types though, because once you teach an attack to a Pokémon, the T.M. is no longer useful. It's trash. Normal type Pokémon can learn more moves of other Pokémon than any other type, I believe. I'm not sure whether this is true yet or not, because I've never had the opportunity to use one myself, but you can surprise a few trainers by giving a simple Nidoran an Ice Beam, or a Solar Beam or something of that nature, which could be pretty cool."  
  
"Hey, maybe that's what these are then..." Lizzie pulled off her backpack and placed it on the floor and kneeled down next to it. Jordan watched to see what she was doing. She pulled out a few of them, and showed them to Jordan..  
  
"These are fantastic! Why haven't you told me you had some HMs?" Jordan asked.  
  
"What are those?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Hidden Machines. The great thing about this is that you can use these more than once! Pokémon can learn special abilities like Fly, Surf, Flash, Cut and Strength!" Jordan explained.  
  
"Cool," Lizzie replied, putting the strange items back into her bag. "But we should be quiet, now."  
  
"Good idea. It's not very nice to talk while he's concentrating on a rather difficult situation as this."  
  
Koga let out a chuckle. "This certainly is amusing. Come on Voltorb, try a Sonic Boom attack," he commanded.  
  
Voltorb concentrated its energy, then released a loud, thunderous sound, which seemed to jolt through Squirtle's body like a blast of lightning while at the same time feeling as if a train bolted through him. It began to drop to one knee, panting for breath.  
  
"Damn it!" Matt shouted. "A water attack won't do much damage, but what other options do I have?" He began to think. "Perhaps Squirtle is possibly more mobile than the Voltorb, but it seems to have been trained rather well." He stop and thought of other strategies, but was unable to think of anything he could use that could possibly work.  
  
Koga began to become impatient. "Well, are you going to make a move, or what?"  
  
An idea suddenly came into Matt's head. "Zenigame, try a Bite attack," he commanded. "I hope this works..." he crossed his fingers. "Please work."  
  
Squirtle quickly pounced on the Voltorb and tried to sink its teeth into Voltorb's hard body. Squirtle's teeth didn't even pierce the Voltorb; the attack didn't work.  
  
"Heh, you set yourself up. Thunderbolt," Koga calmly replied.  
  
"No!" Matt shouted.  
  
Voltorb charged itself up and released a small amount of electicity, right through Squirtle's body. Matt watched in terror and in helplessness; there seemed to be nothing he could do. As the attack finished, Squirtle fell onto the gym floor, and was not moving. For the first time in a while, Matt has lost.  
  
Matt cursed under his breath and pulled out Squirtle's Pokéball. "Squirtle...return." Squirtle was absorbed back inside the Pokéball. He minimized it, and placed it back onto his belt. "Damn it! How the hell was I to know that he trained Voltorb with electric attacks?"  
  
"Matt, don't get too upset," Lizzie replied. "You can try again a little later. But now, it's my turn, if Koga has any other conscious Pokémon to battle me with..."  
  
Matt walked off of the battlefield, and with his head down walked and stopped beside Jordan. He kicked the air and let out a frustrating grunt. "This just isn't fair. I've trained my Squirtle hard; he should have stood up to at least two or three of those Thundershocks."  
  
"Matt, it doesn't matter what level your Squirtle is at. Remember, this is a gym leader, not your typical Pokémon trainer. I mean, come on, your Squirtle was able to defeat the Venonat, but you were stuck to fight with a Pokémon who knew an electric attack. Come on, you and I know that water Pokémon are virtually defenseless against electric attacks. Next time, you'll pick a better Pokémon to fight with," Jordan explained.  
  
"Heh, yeah, right," Matt replied.  
  
"Matt, don't be so serious about it. It's not like that was your one and only try in the world. You'll get another chance, believe me. Now, stop moping and watch how Lizzie handles herself."  
  
"I'll keep Voltorb out," Koga said.  
  
"Good then. I choose Sandshew!" Lizzie threw a Pokéball, as Sandshrew appeared.  
  
"Hmm. She's using Sandshrew, not a bad choice," Matt watched carefully.  
  
"Well, good selection," Koga commented. "Voltorb, Sonic Boom attack."  
  
Voltorb once again unleashed the loud, thunderous attack. Sandshrew stood still, taking the attack head on, feeling the same effects as Squirtle did with the attack. However, it shook it off, and was awaiting its command from its trainer.  
  
"Sandshrew, Fury Swipes," Lizzie commanded.  
  
Sandshrew launched itself forward, and clung its legs directly onto Voltorb's face. It then swiped at it several times at a rapid pace with its claws, causing sufficient damage to it..  
  
"Voltorb, Self Destruct," Koga commanded.  
  
"Sandshrew, run back!" Lizzie yelled.  
  
The Sandshrew desperately leaped off of the Voltorb, trying to get away from the explosion, but it underestimated the size of the explosion. It was tossed into the air and crashed hard into the gym floor. It slowly pulled itself to its feet, feeling a little bit hot from the extreme blast.  
  
Koga had called Voltorb back inside its Pokéball before enlarging another one. He tossed it into the battlefield. "Let's see how well you do against Venomoth." A large, purple moth-like creature with huge eyes appeared onto the field.  
  
"Shoot, flying has the advantage over ground. Well then, Sandshrew, try a Swift attack!" Lizzie commanded.  
  
Sandshrew jumped to its feet, and took aim. It then unleashed several small, but irritating energy sparks towards the Venomoth. Venomoth suffered efficient damage from the attack, but Lizzie noticed that her Sandshrew became suddenly fatigued, so she was forced to bring it back.  
  
"No worries, this is a Bug Pokémon. Val, your turn!" Lizzie released a Pokéball as a Vulpix appeared. "Val, Flamethrower."  
  
"What?!" Koga yelled out. "Blast it..."  
  
Venomoth was defenseless against the strong, scorching stream of flames released from the small fox-like Pokémon's body. It began to steam, as its own body was smoking. It then collapsed onto the gym floor; it was not moving. Lizzie had just become the victor of the match, and earned the badge for the gym.  
  
"Yes!" Lizzie jumped up for joy.  
  
Koga searched deep in his pockets for the right badge. He found it, and flicked it towards Lizzie. "Congratulations, you are my first victor in a long time, Lizzie. You should be proud."  
  
Matt whipped out a Pokéball and enlarged it. "Okay, Koga. I'm ready for another round..."  
  
Koga shook his head. "Sorry, only one chance per day. Come back tomorrow," Koga replied.  
  
"But...but..." Matt stammered.  
  
"You also realize that I only obtain a certain amount of Pokémon with me," Koga said. "I only have one conscious Pokémon left to battle, so that would put me at an unfair advantage. Check out Fuchsia City, then come back tomorrow if you wish to challenge me. My Pokémon need rejuvination." Koga opened a door and closed it behind him. The gym leader had left.  
  
Matt let out a frustrated yell. "Argh! Why couldn't I challenge him again?!"  
  
"Weren't you listening?!" Lizzie began. "You're only allowed to challenge a Gym Leader once per day. Come on now, I've wanted to see Fuchsia City for a long time. Come on, let's stop by at the Pokémon Center, then go and check out the shops!"  
  
"You REALLY should think about conserving your money," Jordan said; "I was already told that you spent a lot of money buying perfume from Celadon City. That stuff doesn't come cheap!"  
  
"I know that. I meant that we should buy Antidotes, Potions and some more Greatballs."  
  
"Lizzie, even Greatballs are expensive; we should start going back to the Pokéball for just a little while. You didn't seem to earn that much money from the gym leader."  
  
Lizzie counted the amount of spare change that she picked up. "That's plenty! It should be enough to at least buy us dinner!"  
  
"Oh, for crying out loud..." Matt muttered.  
  
"Dinner? How about some fishing rods?" Jordan suggested.  
  
"That's right! We should go to the lake to capture some Pokémon there!" Matt replied.  
  
"Okay then, it's settled! Now if we can only remember how to get the hell out of here." Lizzie looked around. "I can't remember which way we took to get in here."  
  
"This way," Koga pointed, appearing again in front of an exit. "This will take you right outside."  
  
"Thanks," Matt replied. "I'll go first." He stepped through the door that Koga pointed to, without knowing where it lead. He then let out a shout as he fell through and landed on a large, red mat at the very entrance to the gym. He then let out an exasperated sigh and looked back up. "Koga, are you insane?! Why couldn't you have inserted a staircase instead?!"  
  
Koga let out a chuckle. "This was MUCH easier, and a little bit more thrilling! Come on, it's not that far of a fall; who's next?"  
  
"Matt, you'd better catch me down there!" Lizzie teased, about to jump through.  
  
"Hey, I'm not willing to get my bones crushed by your landing on me," Matt muttered.  
  
"What did you just say?!" Lizzie stomped her foot. "What kind of man are you, anyway?!"  
  
"Whatever, I'll get the bikes ready; you just come down here."  
  
"Damn, I almost got him to do it, too..." Lizzie muttered.  
  
"Are you really THAT interested in him?" Jordan asked as Lizzie blushed. "Well, you're not answering me, not to mention that you're blushing, so I'll have to say that--"  
  
"Shut up!" Lizzie gave Jordan a slap across the face. "Don't spoil my moment! I almost had him feeling bad!"  
  
"Him? Heh, good luck..." Jordan commented, rubbing his face. "That one hurt. If you knocked a tooth loose I will never forgive you."  
  
"You're both such babies. Ally-oop!" Lizzie jumped down and landed on the mat. "Hee! That was fun. Huh? Matt?" She looked around, only seeing the bikes in the entrance. She looked around the room, but he was nowhere to be found. "Matt? Where did you go? Jordan! I'm going outside; I think Matt's out there!"  
  
"Nature probably gave him a call!" Jordan replied.  
  
"Yeah, like I really needed to know that," Lizzie shuddered.  
  
"Well, just making a possible suggestion. Clear the way!" Lizzie moved as Jordan leaped onto the mat. "Can't remember the last time I did something like that. Now, where's Matt." Lizzie and Jordan walked out of the entrance to the building.  
  
Lizzie turned around the corner and let out a shout. "Matt!" What she saw was Matt's body, lying completely flat on the ground, completely unconscious. "Oh my God...what happened?!"  
  
Jordan looked around. He caught a glimpse of an object that came towards his face, but that was the last thing he saw.  
  
* * *  
  
Jordan slowly woke up and rubbed his head, for it was throbbing in pain. Lying flat on the ground, he looked around. The air was heavy, moist and cold; he saw a completely bricked wall, and bricks on the ceiling. There was little lighting, as he slowly pulled himself to his feet. To him, this atmosphere seemed like a prison. "What the...where the hell am I?"  
  
"So you're awake," a familiar character said. Steady, echoing footsteps could be heard, as Arrmun walked in front of the prison bars.  
  
"You!" Jordan ran towards the prison bars and tried to grab Arrmun. "You rotten thief. You were the one who tried to steal my Pokémon!"  
  
"Ah, so I my intuition was right; I knew I had recognized you before." Arrmun brushed his hand through his hair, almost as if that last remark flattered him. "My name is Arrmun, and I think in your current position it would serve you better to address me as that other than 'you'."  
  
Jordan released his grip on the prison bars and clenched a fist. "I never thought you would have the nerve to steal them again, not after the scar I gave you."  
  
It was three years ago, when Jordan had an encounter with a petty thief. Arrmun at the time was wearing something very similar to what it was now, only at the time Team Rocket did not exist. Although he was threatened with a knife, Jordan refused to give up his Pokémon, and with his Charmeleon at the time, ordered him to attack Arrmun directly, causing him to leave a large gaping gash across his cheek. Arrmun ran away, and he never dared to lay eyes on Jordan again. However, that was before he joined Team Rocket and climbed their ranks as one of the elite. With the security of Team Rocket around him, now he believed that he could do anything.  
  
Arrmun grabbed his cheek with the scar. "I'll never forget what you've done. I'll never forget how much those claws hurt. But, it wasn't you who I was after. It was that other stubborn trainer, with the Squirtle."  
  
"You leave the kid out of this!" Jordan exclaimed.  
  
Arrmun shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that, for it was he who sent Cloë and Zach to prison, some of Giovanni's most liked members, of course for their ranking. He was without a doubt upset. Giovanni strongly believed that this pest held some very valuable Pokémon to capture. So, he sent his best elite fighter...myself."  
  
"You scum! Matt has done nothing to you!"  
  
"Oh, but he has. That punk trainer has hurt Team Rocket's pride. He was able to foil some of our best members, and this frustrates me, as well. However, whatever frustrates me frustrates Giovanni even more."  
  
"So he hurt your precious team's pride? Ha, it looks good on you. That kid has a dream of becoming a Pokémon master like I once did. I will avenge him..." he looked for Pokéballs on his belt, but they were not there.  
  
Arrmun let out a laugh. "Oh, come now, did you really think that we would be stupid enough to just leave your Pokémon right where it is? Particularly the Pokémon held by the former member of the Elite Four?"  
  
"Damn you..." Jordan muttered.  
  
"Well, I'd better check out on your little friends." Arrmun walked away as Jordan kicked the wall in frustration.  
  
Matt had been awake for a little while in his cell, constantly thinking about where his Pokémon could be, but mostly Squirtle in particular. Beside him was Lizzie, who was still unconscious. Matt easily noticed the bump on her head where she had been hit. Matt let out a sigh. "I hate you Team Rocket. I don't care what happens to me, but to do this to Lizzie? I really hate you."  
  
Matt lifted Lizzie's head up to give her a kiss on the lips, but he decided not to. He didn't feel right giving his first kiss to her when she was in this current state, so he decided to give her a small, warm, gentle kiss on the cheek. "This is good enough for now." He placed Lizzie's head back down softly on the floor.  
  
"So you ARE awake..." Arrmun said, walking in front of the prison bars. Matt took an angry glance at Arrmun, then shut his eyes and looked away from him. "My, my, my, you certainly are rather stubborn as usual. What's wrong? Don't you have anything to say to me?"  
  
"Shut up..." Matt replied, "just shut up! You're nothing but a coward!" He turned his face towards Arrmun and stood up.  
  
"Oh...really?"  
  
"Yes, really! You surround us with guns, and now you knock us out to bring us to this God-forsaken place? What will it take for you to realize that your presence isn't wanted? Look what you've done to me! Look what you've done to my friend!"  
  
"I am SO sorry if I had shattered your ego and pride," Arrmun sarcastically replied.  
  
"Shut your face! It's bad enough that you've taken our Pokémon, but stalking us like this, and doing this to Lizzie while we're unarmed, that's unforgiveable. I can't believe I allowed Lizzie to thwart my desires; I should have killed you when I had the chance back in that gym."  
  
"You're still thinking of that are you? It's unfortunate, because you most certainly did have the chance, and you most certainly did throw it away like a broken Pokéball. And now, because of your foolishness, you can be alone with your girlfriend. But don't worry, we'll take extra good care of your Pokémon." Arrmun then walked off into the distance, with the sound of a metal door slamming following soon after.  
  
"You will NOT get away with this Team Rocket," Matt muttered, clenching a fist. "Mark my words Arrmun, I will kill you...."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	23. Escape!

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 23: Escape!  
  
  
  
Matt was pacing around in his cell, bored. For he along with Lizzie and Jordan had been Team Rocket's prisoners for the past two days, and he was starting to get very frustrated. Lizzie was no longer unconscious, but because of her injuries, was forced to rest.  
  
"Matt, please, stop pacing around like that," Lizzie quietly said, "you're starting to make me nervous."  
  
Matt shot a look at Lizzie. "I'm not doing this to make YOU nervous, I'm just completely ticked off at Team Rocket. They have gone way too far this time..."  
  
"There's no way to get out of here?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"I've looked and thought of many things the past couple of days, and I really don't think that there's anyway out. There's no books, no beds, no windows, just a couple of stones. And geez, I want Arrmun here right now, I want to punch his lights out."  
  
"Calm down, please..." Lizzie rubbed her head.  
  
"Don't tell me to calm down, Lizzie. I don't know how you can be so calm during such an intense situation." He sat down across from Lizzie, shaking his head. "Are we ever going to get out of here...and are we ever going to see our Pokémon again?"  
  
* * *  
  
Jordan looked around outside his cell. He wasn't exactly sure, but he believed that in the distance he saw on top of a large desk some racks which conained Pokéballs along with Greatballs. "Those must be where Matt's and Lizzie's Pokémon are." He stood up to take a closer look. On top of one of the desks was what appeared to be a Pokédex. Jordan grinned slightly. "The only person I know with a Pokédex is Matt. Perhaps if I could can get my hands on that, then perhaps I could get some of his Pokémon to co-operate with me."  
  
Suddenly nearby, there was a very large squeaking sound of a steel door opening, followed with a loud slam. Footsteps could be heard, as once again Arrmun appeared in front of Jordon's cell. "Thinking of a plan to escape?" he asked. "If you are, forget it. There possibly couldn't be a way out of here."  
  
"Come over here and say that," Jordan dared, snickering.  
  
"If you're thinking of that old pathetic cliché, then forget it. Nothing that weak will work against me." Arrmun turned his back to Jordan, and began examining some of the Pokéballs on top of the desk. He examined each one, then placed them back from where he picked them up.  
  
"You're such a coward," Jordan muttered. "You never were much without the financial and up-front support by Team Rocket. The only reason we're here is because you're with then. Regardless of what supports you, deep inside you are still a petty thief; good for absolutely nothing. You are weak."  
  
Arrmun's eyes widened, as he turned around slowly. "What did you just say?!" He then took a few steps closer towards the prison cell.  
  
"You heard me..."  
  
"Weak? Peh!" Arrmun took a few more steps closer to Jordan. "I still believe that you don't realize the seriousness of the situation you've found yourself in. Blurting out continuous remarks is almost asking to be killed. Are you asking to be killed?" What Arrmun didn't realize is that he was closer to the prison cell than he originally wished to be.  
  
Jordan smirked, and gripped his two hands tightly behind Arrmun's head. "You really are just an idiot." With that, he brought up his knee which fortunately was able to fit through the prison bars. It was brought up and connected hard to Arrmun's nose. Jordan then freed his left hand, created a fist, and launched it forward, connecting it violently to Arrmun's face. The impact sent Arrmun tumbling back into the desk behind him, then repelling off of it and crashing right in front of the prison cell. He then heard a slight jingle as Arrmun hit the ground. "Keys!"   
  
Jordan pulled Arrmun as close as possible to search him, before picking up a set. "You are stupid. Perhaps you were eventually planning on unlocking us and taking you to your leader, perhaps? Regardless, it's careless, and now we're going to escape." He grinned.  
  
Jordan looked for a keyhole, and found it on the outside of the door. He tried each key, one after enougher, eventually unlocking it. Slowly and quietly, Jordan slid the door open, tossed Arrmun into the cell, then locked it with him inside, and Jordan outside. "Nighty-night." Jordan looked around the large, dark room, and found Matt's and Lizzie's backpacks. He took the Pokéballs on the shelf and shoved all of them into one. "Sorry about this guys, I have no time to find out whose is whose here..." He then zipped up both backpacks, putting one on his back, and holding the other one in his hand. He then started to look for Matt and Lizzie's cell.  
  
Matt, bored, sat down and began thinking outloud to himself. "Arrmun...hurry and come down here so I can kill you..."  
  
"Matt, stop it!" Lizzie yelled. "You're really starting to creep me out here!"  
  
"I...I'm sorry..." Matt said. "I'll just shut up now. I've only been upsetting you lately." He then heard footsteps as Matt raised his head. "Ha...I knew he'd come." Matt started tapping his left fist into his right palm. "Payback..." He then pulled himself to his feet and approached the cell.  
  
"Matt, don't. Please, stop it..."  
  
Jordan then walked up to the cell as Matt was winding up for a punch. "Hey!" Jordan said, as Matt dropped his fist. "What the...were you gonna hit me?"  
  
"Yikes!" Matt dropped his fist, as suddenly for the first time in days a smile appeared on his face. "Jordan! How did you get out!"  
  
"Jordan!" Lizzie said, also smiling while pulling herself to her feet.  
  
"Shh..." Jordan replied, putting a finger to his lip. "We have to be quiet; once they figure out that Arrmun won't be returning, they'll get a little bit worried." He then tried certain keys to the lock, as he eventually managed to unlock it open. "I brought both your backpacks." He returned them to their owners.  
  
Lizzie opened hers and searched around frantically. She found her extra sets of clothing, and her sleeping bag, but found no Pokéballs.. "My Pokémon aren't in here..."  
  
"Funny, because I have way too many in mine," Matt said.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't have time to find out which belonged to which; I don't know exactly how to use the Pokédex. I don't know how much time we have, but if you can do it quickly, then go."  
  
Matt used his Pokédex to figure out which Pokémon belonged to himself, Lizzie and Jordan. It fortunately didn't take as much time as the originally contemplated.  
  
"Great, we're ready, let's go," Jordan said.  
  
"Good. If we see Arrmun on the way, I'll give him my best punch," Matt said, holding his fist high.   
  
"I locked him up," Jordan replied.  
  
"What?" Matt looked at him.  
  
"No need to beat him up, I already messed his face up a little, then I tossed him in the cell."  
  
"So that's how you escaped," Matt muttered. "Damn, I was looking forward to getting him back. But since you got him for me, I guess that's good. He had it coming to him."  
  
"Come on guys, we need to leave now," Lizzie whispered.  
  
"All right, let's go then. It's too risky to go upwards. We should take the emergency exit," Jordan suggested.  
  
"Wouldn't the alarm go off?" Matt asked.  
  
"Possibly. But it's our only way out of here."  
  
"Shh...what's that?" Lizzie asked. Since they had more time to explore the room, near the large steel door, there were several footsteps heard nearby, along with several angry voices.  
  
Matt took out a Pokéball. "Zenigame, come out!" He then opened it at Zenigame appeared, fully energized, although days ago a Thundershock completely wiped him out.  
  
"I knew something was wrong; they're escaping!" somebody called from the stairs.  
  
"Zenigame! Hydro pump!" Squirtle took in a deep breath, then sent forth a mighty stream of water, knocking back some of the Team Rocket members; a chain reaction was caused as many of them collapsed.  
  
"Charizard!" Jordan released a Pokéball. "Flamethrower!"  
  
Pairing itself with Squirtle's massive stream of water, Charizard itself unleashed a powerful, scroching stream of fire. "I...I can't get through!" Smoke began to rise, starting to fog the area a little bit.  
  
"Anybody have a water or rock Pokémon with them?!"  
  
"No, sir!"  
  
"Idiots!"  
  
"Well, then, looks like we'll have to..." before the member was able to finish his sentence, he realized that both water and fire streams were gone. However, the heavy layer of smoke was still there. "What? They're gone!"  
  
"They seemed to have gotten their hands on a smoke bomb."  
  
"Confound it!! Go outside, find them!" Some of the members dashed back through the steel door, while others blindly dashed into the smoke. Some of them collided into walls or desks, and unleashed howls of pain.  
  
"Faster, faster!" Lizzie yelled, with Jordan running beside her. "Matt? Are you still with us?"  
  
"I am!" Matt replied, holding Squirtle close to him. Suddenly, he saw a large rack containing many Pokéballs and stopped to look. "Wow, look at all these Pokéballs."  
  
"We don't have time for this!" Lizzie exclaimed.  
  
"Oh, come on, Lizzie, grab just one!"  
  
"Fine!" Lizzie grabbed a Pokéball at random and tossed it it into her backpack. "Hmm...why not a few more." She then took two more and threw them in.  
  
Matt stopped, took a handfull of Pokéballs, and threw them in his backpack. "This ought to piss them off a little." He then put his backpack back on, grabbed Squirtle and continued running.  
  
A few moments later after dashing through the emergency exit, Matt, Lizzie and Jordan ran outside of the building and continued running passing through a forest. They continued to run blindly through a barrage of trees, before finally stopping, collapsing, hoping that they were safe.  
  
Matt began gasping for breath. "That was unbelieveably close."  
  
"Hey, where are we?" Lizzie asked.  
  
Matt looked around. "I don't recognize this place at all. Well, I do a little bit; that city down there looks familiar." He pulled out his map. "What building did we just run out of?"  
  
Jordan took a look. "Just as I thought. It's Silph Co. That's too bad, it seems that Team Rocket has taken complete control over all of them."  
  
"You're kidding me!" Lizzie replied. "There's only one Silph Co. building in all of Indigo, and that's all the way in Saffron City!"  
  
"What?!" Matt shouted. "They dragged us all the way back here?!"  
  
"Shh! Not so loud!" Lizzie shouted, looking back.  
  
"Guys, deeper into the forest now!" Jordan yelled. "Team Rocket is coming out of the building; move, move!"  
  
Matt picked up Squirtle and began to dash for his life again, with Lizzie and Jordan right behind them.  
  
"How much more do we have to run?!  
  
* * *  
  
Late at night, camp was set up. Another tent was purchased back in Celadon City, and now they were using that for camping. They had to purchase new sleeping bags as well, as those were left behind in the last Team Rocket raid. Matt was tracing on his map with a pencil with a small lamp, giving him at least some form of light.  
  
Lizzie peaked her head out of the tent. "Matt, it's practically midnight. Now come on, come back into the tent; you're going to catch a cold..." Lizzie yawned.  
  
"I'm trying to pinpoint our exact direction. Don't worry, I'll have it figured out in another hour. I have a general idea to where we are," Matt replied, continuing to write on his map. "We're not back in Saffron, I know that much. Perhaps another Silph Co. building was just recently constructed. It looks relatively new."  
  
"Well, your Zenigame is getting lonely sleeping all by himself."  
  
"Take him to bed with you then; I'm trying to figure this out!"  
  
"We can figure it out tomorrow, Matt. Come on. I don't want Team Rocket to find us with that light of yours on."  
  
"Just leave me be! I'm almost done!"  
  
"Fine, knock yourself out." Lizzie then angrily placed her head back into the tent lay herself down with Squirtle and fell asleep.  
  
"At least SOMEBODY is trying to get us back on the right route," Matt muttered, yawning. He looked back at the map and slammed his pencil on it, frustrated. "I have NO idea where we are or WHERE we're going." He sighed, and folded back up his map. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Hey! I forgot to see which Pokémon I took!"  
  
Matt stretched towards his backpack and opened it. He then pulled out the Pokéballs and his Pokédex. He then started to scan all of them. "Pokéball contains...Growlithe," the Pokédex voice replied. Matt grabbed another one. "Pokéball contains...Mankey." Matt grabbed the third one. "Pokéball contains...Abra." Matt grabbed the last one. "Pokéball contains...Seel."  
  
"Awesome stuff," Matt replied. "They're all great Pokémon. I'll add them to my Pokédex." After a few seconds, the Pokéballs transported themselves to Professor Oak's laboratory. Matt smirked. "A Psychic Pokémon would do me good. I think I'll make a switch." Matt entered a few commands which loaded up on a screen his current roster. "No, I'm keeping Zenigame...Pikachu's useful. I like Bulbasaur, and Charmeleon. Hmm...Zubat and Pinsir I haven't really used lately." Matt thought hard. "Zubat could locate the gym for us, and Pinsir doesn't really evolve. I think he should go back for a little bit." Matt entered a few commands as Pinsir's Pokéball was switched with Abra's.  
  
"A Psychic Pokémon. One of the strongest types. A little bit overrated, but, it should still come in handy. All right, I've found our way back. Time to sleep." Matt crawled into his sleeping bag, and fell asleep in only a few minutes.  
  
* * *  
  
In a dark office, a man of important stature slammed his fists violently on his desk in frustration. He was dressed entirely in black; his black hair used gel, to keep it flat and smooth. His eyes were also black, and somewhat mesmerizing, like a dark, bottomless pit. "This is the fifth time that they have done this to you, Arrmun! And to think an elite member outsmarted by a couple of teenagers!"  
  
"But...sir...please..." Arrmun stammered.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"One of them was an ex-member of the Elite Four! He, he--"  
  
"Obviously, he pulled a cheap trick on you. I have told you SEVERAL times to watch your ego! I did tell you that, did I not?! Your poor display of judgment has greatly soiled the great pride of Team Rocket! You have greatly embarrassed your name, the names of your fellow members around you, and most importantly, MY name! My name is the one which is to strike fear in the hearts of my opponents, and when this gets out that one of my trusted elite members was foiled by the inability to control his emotions, then I will be the laughingstock of the entire world! Is this what you really want, Arrmun?!"  
  
"Sir, please, these kids aren't your average Pokémon trainers. These trainers are actually tough. They have phoenomenal Pokémon. One of them even has a Legendary Bird!"  
  
Giovanni's eyes widened. "Legendary Bird? Articuno?!"  
  
Arrmun nodded. "Yes, sir."  
  
Giovanni pounded his fists on his desk again. "So, one of them stole our Articuno, the one that we fought so hard to get..."  
  
"Well, sir, if I may..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Well, it IS an Articuno, but, it's not Legendary."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The Legendary Articuno is practically impossible to capture. The Articuno that they have isn't legendary, it's just rare."  
  
"I see. Very well, off with you."  
  
Arrmun turned his back and began to leave.  
  
"No, wait," Giovanni called out.  
  
Arrmun turned around. "Yes, sir?"  
  
"I strongly recommend that you use better judgment when you go out after them again." He frowned, and turned around in his dark, leather chair. "If you fail me one more time, your promotion will be cut, and you will be sentenced to cafeteria work. Don't forget, Arrmun, I was the one that made you. I can just as easily destroy you. Understood?"  
  
"But, sir, I--"  
  
"Is THAT understood?!"  
  
"Y-yes sir." He then bowed, and turned around, leaving the office as the doors closed behind him. "I can't afford getting brought back down; I've worked so hard to get this far. If I get brought down again, I will be unable to support my brother, not to mention myself." He then pictured Matt's face in his mind. He formed a fist and shook it. "That little cretin. He and his group of friends have beaten me so many times, it frustrates me to no limit. Could...could it be that he has better Pokémon than I do? Does he have a better training method than I do? Or am I just bad?" Arrmun walked off in the dark hallway.  
  
Arrmun walked into his bedroom and picked up a picture of his younger brother. He smiled. "This would be just his first year of high school. He has excellent computer skills; he's even been known for hacking. He could be of use to us, but I don't want him to be dragged down the same path as me. I don't want him to have to sacrifice his entire life to Giovanni." He put the picture down.  
  
"Watch out, Matt." Arrmun clenched a fist. "From now on, things are going to get much, much more difficult...for both of us...."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	24. When the Hill Becomes Steeper

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 24: When the Hill Becomes Steeper...  
  
  
  
The sun was bright, and the birds in the trees were chirping, and Lizzie was pacing outside her tent. It has been for hours since Matt had left with his Squirtle. Unknown where either of them could be, she continued pacing. Jordan made several attempts to get her to relax, however regardless what he said, Lizzie refused to listen.  
  
She suddenly looked up, hearing soft footfalls on the long, dirt path, as finally Matt's figure showed up, with Squirtle right behind him, as always. He was flicking something in his hand constantly, again and again. He smiled at both Lizzie and Jordan, waving to them.  
  
"Matt, where the frickin' hell have you been?!" Lizzie asked.  
  
"All that work that you didn't want me to do last night happened to work out in my favour! I found the Fuchsia gym this morning, won the Soul Badge, and walked back. I used Zubat's radar to find it, so now I know where we are! We're not stuck near Saffron after all!"  
  
"Matt; Lizzie's been pacing around, talking about you constantly for the past couple of hours. She was really worried about you You see what happens when a girl falls in love? I have to listen to their rants and complaints!"  
  
"Hey! Watch it!" Lizzie snapped, holding up a fist.  
  
"Hey, I didn't mean anything!" Jordan stepped back, holding up both his hands, as if he was surrendering to her. "Please, whatever you do, don't step on my toes like the last time I said that."  
  
"You DESERVED it!"  
  
"Can't you take a little tease now and then?!"  
  
Matt sighed heavily, as he wiped off some sweat from his forehead. Squirtle sighed as well, and decided to sit down. "Come on, you guys. This isn't a good time to fight."  
  
"Ooh, wait!" Lizzie dropped her fist, and faced Matt. "What about our bikes, are they there?"  
  
Matt frowned and shook his head. "Team Rocket must have taken those, too, or destroyed them. Or perhaps they were stolen. Whatever. But since I know where we are, all we have to do is walk south from here, and take a ferry to Cinnibar Island."  
  
"That sucks, having to lose our bikes like that. We might have to pay to borrow other bikes, and hope that those ones won't get stolen," Lizzie said.  
  
"I don't think we should try that anymore. Knowing how often Team Rocket is after us, we could lose them again. Not all Joys at the Pokémon Centers will be willing to allow us to lose those bikes. Next time, we'll probably have to pay for them in full," Matt pointed out.  
  
"Squirtle..." Squirtle muttered.  
  
"Oh well, you seem to know our direction. We have to go South?" Jordan asked.  
  
"Yes, this way," Matt pointed. "And we must be prepared for battle at all costs, Team Rocket is beginning to become desperate here. Their constant trying to capture us and kill us is honestly starting to scare me a little."  
  
"I know!" Lizzie replied. "They've gotten so desperate that some day they could just come up with their entire army or whatever."  
  
Matt placed his hands on Lizzie's shoulders and stared deep into her eyes. His infamous look, full of confidence and sincerity. "Don't worry. We're fully equipped with very strong Pokémon. Nothing they do could ever keep us from fighting back. If they ever were to kill a person, it could be huge trouble for them. Honestly."  
  
"It's true," Jordan continued. "If one of them ended up killing just for the purpose of Pokémon, they could easily be tracked down and all of Team Rocket could be completely wiped out."  
  
Matt stood still and thought for a minute. The idea sounded very intriguing to him. If he could flush out Team Rocket by giving up his life, he would do it.  
  
"Hey, what's up?" Lizzie asked.  
  
Matt blinked and slowly stared coldly into Lizzie's eyes. "I'll do it..." he quietly muttered.  
  
"What?" Lizzie became frightened; that was not the same look Matt gave her only a few short moments ago.  
  
"I said, 'I'll do it'," Matt repeated.  
  
"What are you talking about?!" Lizzie asked.  
  
"If sparing one's life is enough to help annihilate Team Rocket, I'm willing to give up my life for that. Team Rocket, where are you?!" Matt turned and began to run, as Squirtle began running right behind him.  
  
"What?! Matt, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Jordan shouted. "I'm not even sure if what I have to say is true! I mean, the police so far are defenseless against Team Rocket. You could just be wasting your life!" He began to run after him, but Lizzie held out her arm, and stopped him before he could get too far.  
  
"I'll go after him. You watch the camp." She began chasing after Matt. "What in God's name has gotten into you, Matt?! Why are you so obsessed with Team Rocket? First you're willing to kill Arrmun, and now you're willing to expose yourself just to stop one small fragment of the entire organization?!"  
  
"I don't care! I can help prevent other lives from being destroyed if I give up my own life!"  
  
Lizzie stopped and gasped for breath, regaining her stamina. "I never understand you, Matt. Sometimes you can be kind, sometimes you can look like the smartest person in the world. But other times you don't even think, and dash ahead into dangerous situations. You can be so stupid."  
  
Matt stopped and turned around. "What?" He approached Lizzie, not completely hearing what she said the first time.  
  
"I thought you were different. I thought that deep inside you really cared for others, but it's not true. It just isn't. All guys are the same. Self-absorbed, arrogant, thoughtless--"  
  
"No! I'm none of those things! Stop saying such nonsense!" Matt yelled back. "Why do you think I'm doing this? For myself?! If I can stop Team Rocket by giving myself up for them, then isn't that better for the world?"  
  
"Squirtle squirtle squirt!" Squirtle replied angrily to Matt.  
  
"What? What are you complaining about?!"  
  
"Matt, look in your Zenigame's eyes. He truly cares for you. He doesn't want you to do such a rash thing! Fod God's sake for once will you listen to reason? Do you have any idea what a stupid thing you're doing right now?"  
  
"Lizzie, what do you prefer...me giving up my life to prevent Team Rocket from harming another soul, or letting me live and have Team Rocket continue its reign of terror?"  
  
"Neither! When the hell did either of these options come up?! You don't need to risk your life for exposing Team Rocket. No, I don't want you to do something stupid like giving up your life, and no, I don't want Team Rocket to continue it's terrible reign of terror. They will be stopped some day! You have to realize this. Not to mention...no, forget it."  
  
"Speak," Matt said, almost ordering her to respond.  
  
Lizzie turned around and looked at Matt straight in the eyes with tears rolling down her face. Never had Lizzie ever felt such strong emotions over a person before, nor had she ever been faced with such a twisted, bizarre situation. "Think about it..." Lizzie sniffled; "what do you think I'm going to say to you?"  
  
"You're going to have to tell me yourself," Matt replied. "Don't just assume I know something just by looking at you."  
  
"STOP THIS!" Lizzie shouted, falling to her knees, beginning to sob. "Look at me! Look at me, damn it!"  
  
Matt's eyes widened. Suddenly he had understand. That bizarre feeling within him suddenly started to speak out. Did she love him? Him? How could somebody like himself be loved, by somebody who definately deserves better? He shook his head. "That's a pile of crap, Lizzie. You don't love me."  
  
"I don't what?!"  
  
"I get it, Lizzie. I get it. And you're right. You've seen how I've acted. I'm nothing more than self-centered; you're right, I don't think things through. God, I'm so stupid. You know what? Now this all makes sense." Matt turned around and looked ahead. He could see Silph Co. in the distance, as if a tall tower was rising itself amongst the trees surrounding it. "For you to go through so much trouble to stop me, it would only make sense if I was killed now."  
  
"No! No!" Lizzie jumped to her feet, and lunged herself at Matt, as they both crashed onto the ground, rolling down the hill roughly. As they reach the bottom, Lizzie coughed between sobs. "Would you stop it and listen to me?! You're really scaring me!"  
  
"If you have such strong feelings about me, why aren't you letting me leave?! You've constantly been saying that I'm scaring you, and how I'm not doing the right thing, so why are you letting me stay? I'm not doing this for myself! I..." Matt stammered. "I..." he took a deep breath. It's all right, he told himself, tell her. "I...I'm doing it for you."  
  
Lizzie's eyes just stared at Matt's, she shook her haid and was prepared to speak, but Matt quickly put his hand over her mouth, silencing her.  
  
"I don't want Team Rocket harming you again. What they've done to you is unforgiveable. I'll never forget how you've been treated. You've become too important to me..." Matt sighed, closing his eyes. "I...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. You seem upset, I'll go--"  
  
"No," Lizzie pulled Matt back down to the ground. "No. Go nowhere. I don't care. I don't want you to do this. If you care that much for me, don't go, please. Team Rocket will be stopped, and they will not be allowed to continue with their evil, vile ways. Matt, come on, I've seen too many people harmed and...controlled by Team Rocket. You don't need to go through...what they did."  
  
"What are you talking about? What do you know?" He sighed. "But as long as you promise me that one day, they will be stopped, then I don't expose myself."  
  
Lizzie's eyes widened as she wrapped her arms around Matt. "Oh, oh, you have no idea how much this means to me...really, you don't. Oh, God, if I could just--"  
  
Matt interrupted Lizzie's speech by pressing his warm, pale pink lips against hers. They remained motionless for several seconds. As he removed them, Lizzie and Matt stared at each other, both in awe, uncertain of what just happened.  
  
Matt tore his head away. "I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--" Matt started to get up, but Lizzie grabbed his arm. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I swear, it just slipped!"  
  
"No, Matt, I didn't mean that--"  
  
"Please, let me go, I need to start doing some SERIOUS thinking!" Matt tried breaking out of Lizzie's reach.  
  
"Matt, don't run. Stay here. Running doesn't solve anything."  
  
"No, I'm dead serious, Lizzie. Please, let me go."  
  
Lizzie sighed as she released her grip on Matt's arm. "You promised though. If you go towards Silph Co. I promise you I will kill you myself!"  
  
"I already said that I'm not going to get myself killed! Please, I just need to think about what the hell's been running through my head." Matt began to run through the vast, open field, confused with all the mixed emotions he felt. Frustration, fear, determination and confusion. When he was far enough away from Lizzie, he blinked a few times and looked at himself. His arms, his hands, his feet, his jacket and even his watch.   
  
"What...what did I just do? Did...did I kiss her? Oh GOD!" He pounded a nearby tree. "Why did I just DO that?! What in God's name has been running through my mind these past couple of days?!" He began to analyze his thoughts, trying to make sense ouf of them. Was it for his frustration for Team Rocket? His burning anger for Arrmun? Perhaps was this mixed with sudden feelings he had for Lizzie? Lizzie? Did he have those feelings for her? Did he kiss her because he loved her? Or was it to keep her quiet? So many questions ran through his head, as his Squirtle eventually caught up to him, and tugged at his jeans.  
  
"Interesting. I never knew I'd find you here all alone," a voice called from behind Matt.  
  
Matt shot his head around and stared straight into Arrmun, with the same cold look he had in his eyes, and the same arrogant speech. "Go away. I'm in no mood to deal with you right now." Matt turned his back on Arrmun, almost hoping he would go away.  
  
"Look, you've caused me a lot of frustration. If you don't start following my orders, I'm going to have to get a little bit rough on you, is that understood?" Arrmun asked.  
  
Matt turned around, and stared at Arrmun, giving him a perplexed look. "And just what in the hell makes you think I'm simply going to start listening to you? I've beaten you every time. If anything, I should be giving YOU orders to follow."  
  
"That's unfortunate, it really is," Arrmun brushed his hand through his hair.  
  
Matt, once again began to grow very angry. "Listen to me, you idiot! I'm serious here, I'm not in the best of moods! Don't make me do something regrettable!"  
  
"That sounds like your everyday attituge," Arrmun muttered, becoming impatient. "I don't know what's wrong with you today, boy, but you've gotten me into a LOT of trouble."  
  
"Good, I'm glad. You know what? Everything terrible that happens to you is something you greatly deserve, and I'm serious by that. As far as I'm concerned, you can go to hell." Matt walked by the tree against which he was leaning and began to run, with Squirtle directly behind him as always. Shortly, he felt a sudden increase in weight, as he was brought down roughtly onto the ground.  
  
"You don't understand, boy."  
  
"No, YOU don't understand!" Matt quickly turned around and placed both of his hands on Arrmun, he then shoved him off, and pulled himself to his feet. "All this time you've been chasing us around, stalking us, causing us pain and fear, especially to Lizzie! I could have killed you so many times, and honestly, with the mood I'm in, I could actually do it!"  
  
"Stop making such pathetic threats," Arrmun replied, pulling himself to his feet before facing Matt again. "You know the consequences of killing, so why bother repeat yourself?"  
  
"I don't care what the consequences are, as long as you are completely out of my life." Matt harsly replied. "You've gone far past the line just from being a common thief."  
  
"How ironic. Who's the one who's trying to kill who here?"  
  
"You've tried to kill us as well, you idiot. You don't deserve to live after the way you've treated me and my friends." Matt grabbed a Greatball from his belt and enlarged it. He stared straight into Arrmun's eyes. Arrmun also stared back. His eyes seemed to burn with a blazing fire, which could consume everything in its path. With it blazed determination, desire, and the rejection of losing. He shook his head, wondering what had just occured. "This is the last straw."  
  
"First, let's make a bet," Arrmun stammered, slightly intimidated with Matt's look.  
  
"I am not making a bet with a lowly, pathetic member of Team Rocket. You wanted to battle, let's get this over with!"  
  
"The bet will include my staying away from you for the rest of your life," he calmly added. He felt slightly relieved, still wondering how staring into a pair of eyes could do something so strange as intimidate him.  
  
"Don't insult me!" Matt shouted. "Do you take me for an idiot? Do you honestly want me to believe that you'll stay off my back for the rest of my life?"  
  
"Well, it's a win-win situation," Arrmun explained. Matt lowered the Greatball in his arm began to listen. "If I win, I get to take three Pokémon of my choice from your collection," Arrmun began, "and if you win, you get to keep all of my Pokémon. As a bonus for either, you will never see me or Team Rocket ever again. You have my word of honour."  
  
"Honour?! You?!" Matt rolled his eyes. "Fine. Three of five battle. If I see any of you or another member of Team Rocket after this, I will search you out, and kill you. And you know that I can do it."  
  
"I know you can." Arrmun pulled out a Greatball. "I'd hate to get personally slaughtered by you."  
  
"You're pushing it way too far. Go Abra!" Matt released the Greatball from his hand as a strange-looking Pokémon appeared. It had long, golden claws, long, bony also golden feet, with a long, thick tail. It seemed to be wearing a thick piece of purple armour; long, flat black eyes, with ears like a fox and a snout like a pig.  
  
"Arcanine, go!" From the Greatball in Arrmun's hand, a very large dog-like Pokémon appeared. Its paws were of a dark orange, its body with the occasional black stripes with a stained white, flowing mane, and a large, bushy stained-white tail.  
  
"Abra, Teleport!"  
  
Abra, who was sitting, suddenly released a small flash of light, before it vanished, giving Arcanine no chance to attack.  
  
"Hey, that's being cheap!" Arrmun complained.  
  
"Look, if you want to forfeit, that's fine with me. I'm really in no mood with battling now."  
  
Arrmun looked around the grassy area, as Abra reappeared. It was well behind is Arcanine, and figured that if he made the command to attack again, it would once again teleport. He decided to sit and remain patient.  
  
"Abra, quick, Psychic attack!" Matt shouted.  
  
Abra's eyes began to glow, and slightly open, as if it was charging up for an attack. An Abra generally doesn't know very well their psychic attacks until they have evolved. The attack was taking a very long time to charge.  
  
"Arcanine, Agility!"  
  
The instant the attack was ready, Abra opened its eyes, in an attempt to telepathically grab Arcanine and control it to do its bidding. However, with a blast of speed, Arcanine dashed far to the side, which resulted in Abra losing its target, and hence cancelling the attack.  
  
"Abra, Teleport again!" Matt yelled.   
  
Abra once again released a flash of light, and it was gone.  
  
"From above, attack!"  
  
"What?" Arrmun looked around.  
  
The Abra reappeared and already with a charged up Psychic attack, it had captured Arcanine within its grasp, and held it tightly. Arcanine was now unable to control itself, as it was being slightly lifted off the ground. In an instant, Arcanine was launched into a nearby tree, colliding with it heavily, and eventually landing onto the grassy terrain below. Very slowly it managed to pull itself to its feet.  
  
Hmm...Arrmun thought. Since Abra's attacks are so limited, he'll end up using the same attacks over and over, he thought. I'll just have to wait and strike when the opportunity arrives.  
  
Matt thought for a moment: This trainer isn't stupid; he knows all about Abra and its moves. I can't just continue to use the same moves over and over again. I have to try something new. If it was evolved, I would have a better selection of psychic attacks.  
  
"Agility!" Arrmun called. "Now, Tackle attack!"  
  
Matt noticed how much lower Abra was towards the ground, as Arcanine caught it in its sights. Before Matt gave out the order to teleport again, it was struck with a hard blow from Arcanine. It was down, and not moving.  
  
"One to nothing. It looks like you'll have to do some more thinking," Arrmun muttered.  
  
"Shut up. Return, Abra." Matt drew Abra back into the Greatball and minimized it. "Don't take this as a shoe-in." He replaced the fallen Abra with an enlarged Pokéball in his other hand. "Zubat, let's go!" Zubat appeared onto the battlefield as soon as the Pokéball was released. "Quick, Flash attack, just like before!"  
  
"What...'Flash' attack he said?" As Arrmun looked on, his Arcanine was struck by a quick blow by the Zubat from behind. His eyes widened. Arcanine was down, and was not moving. "Phenomenal." He called back Arcanine inside its Greatball and minimized it. "Simply astounding."  
  
"Don't screw around with me; it isn't going to work," Matt scowled.  
  
"Who said I was messing around with your mind? Is it that difficult to tell a compliment from an insult? What I said certainly wasn't degrading. Go, Ivysaur!" Arrmun threw another Pokéball as Ivysaur appeared. "Razor Leaf attack!"  
  
From the large flower on its back, several sharp leaves at a rapid pace closed in towards Zubat. It tried desperately to fly away, but it was struck with several of them, as it began to slowly fly towards the ground; its wing was injured..  
  
"Zubat, use Leech Life!" Matt commanded.  
  
Zubat quickly picked up some speed and landed on top of Ivysaur's neck right in front of its emerging bulb. It sank its teeth directly into it, absorbing as much energy and stamina as it possibly could. It then flew off, with Ivysaur nearly collapsing due to the sudden drain in its stamina  
  
"Well, we'll just see about that. Ivysaur, Vine Whip!"  
  
"Zubat, Supersonic!"  
  
Both attacks were released at the same time. Zubat was struck sharply with the several vines from Ivysaur, but its attack slowed down when the mind-altering waves of Zubat slightly affected its thinking, and its vision began to blur slightly. Zubat now was flying lower and much slower than before.  
  
"It's confused, Zubat, strike it with another Leech Life from behind!"  
  
"No!" Arrmun yelled, as Zubat flew in, absorbing the remainder of Ivysaur's stamina. It collapsed, and was not moving. "Damn!" He called the Ivysaur back inside of its Pokéball and sighed heavily. "Only one chance left, but do I dare use it? Was only told only in emergencies, but this is an emergency...so..." Arrmun pulled out a strange-looking Pokéball with the top half glimmering a polished puple  
  
"What's that?" Matt examined it closely. "It definitely doesn't look like any Pokéball I've seen."  
  
"Of course. These have been around for a very long time. Only large cities ever sold these, but since the Greatballs are out, these, the Ultraballs are starting to become popular again as well. Well, here goes."  
  
"Ultraball...?"  
  
Arrmun threw the Ultraball to the ground. "All right Magmar, let's go!" Just like in Celadon Gym, Magmar appeared. Matt found Arrmun's predicament strange, because there was very little hesitation to use it before.  
  
"I've seen this one before," Matt muttered, pulled out his Pokédex.  
  
"Magmar, a fire Pokémon. Its body always burns with an orange glow that enables it to hide perfectly among flames. These Pokémon are often found in active volcanoes," the Pokédex explained.  
  
"I knew it. But this fire Pokémon is different from all the others. It seems to be constantly surrounded by heat, so using Zenigame might not give me that much of an advantage." He turned his attention towards Zubat. "Can you still fight?"  
  
Zubat nodded, rather slowly.  
  
"Well, all right, but be careful!"  
  
"Magmar, Smoke Screen!" Arrmun yelled.  
  
Magmar took in a deep breath, then released large amounts of black smoke from its beak, completely fogging the area in. Matt coughed a few times, waving the air in front of him. "Zubat! Fly above the smoke!" Nothing happened. The smoke began to settle as Matt called again. "Zubat! Surface! Get out of the smoke!" As most of the smoke had cleared, Matt saw in horror as Zubat was on the ground, with some high degree burns. "Zubat, return. I'll heal your burns later on."  
  
"Well, now it's tied, two to two. Looks like this is the tie-breaker..." Arrmun stood there, crossing his arms in confidence.  
  
"Don't be so sure of yourself just yet..." Matt pulled out a Greatball. "Let's see if Onix here remembers you!"  
  
Arrmun's eyes widened. "No...I've forgotten he had one of those!"  
  
The Onix appeared from the Greatball and stood very tall releasing a mighty, thunderous growl; Magmar seemed slightly intimidated, as its balance became very unstable for a few brief moments.  
  
"Onix, Tackle attack!"  
  
"Magmar, Fire Punch!"  
  
As Onix closed in to attack head-first, Magmar charged its fists, allowing balls of fire to raise from them. As soon as Onix moved in slightly closer, Magmar jumped on top of its nose, and struck it between the eyes. Onix cancelled its attack, and shot its head up, crying in pain. Magmar was launched high from Onix's nose, but landed on all fours, unharmed.  
  
"Ha! Excellent move, Magmar! Of course, the ultimate weakness in any Pokémon: its vision!"  
  
"Damn it. This is bad," Matt muttered.  
  
"Now, keep sending blows until it falls over!"  
  
"Onix, stay up so it can't reach you!"  
  
Onix rose to its peak on the ground, high enough so Magmar couldn't reach it with any attack whatsoever without climbing. Magmar attempted to climb up its large, rocky body, but was knocked off each time.  
  
"Now Onix, use Rock Throw!"  
  
Nearby, Onix did manage to find some rocks to utilize, remembering the lack of proper resources in the Celadon gym, and released them full blast at Magmar. It avoided as many rocks as it could to the best of its abilities before being completely knocked off of its feet by being struck with a very large rock right across the face. It slowly got up to its feet, awaiting its next command.  
  
"Aim for the eyes. Fire Blast!"  
  
"Onix, to the rear!" Matt commanded.  
  
Onix shut its eyes and turned to the side, as Magmar as quickly as it could unleashed its most powerful fire attack. Unfortunately for it, Onix's body was made out of solid rock, and the attack did virtually little damage to it.  
  
"Quickly, Onix, before it recovers from its last attack!"  
  
Onix quickly turned around and stared at Magmar with a fierce glare, not forgetting the pain it had previously given to its eyes. It unleashed another thunderous growl, which allowed Magmar to completely lower its defenses. In a quick attack, Onix spun around and struck Magmar heavily with its tail, sending it off its feet and colliding heavily with a nearby tree. It then collapsed, ansd was no longer moving..  
  
"Damn, damn, damn!" Arrmun muttered, stomping the ground in anger and frustration each time. He angrily called back Magmar, cursing once more under his breath. He yelled a few more times, then dropped himself to his knees.  
  
"There, it's done. Now go away, and stay away, understood?" Matt pointed his Greatball and smiled at Onix, calling it back inside. "Remember your promise; I'll keep it to the top of my head always, while traveling." Matt turned his back and began to walk away.  
  
"Stop, wait!" Arrmun called. "You forgot my Pokémon."  
  
"What?" Matt stopped and turned around. "I'm not a petty thief like you, Arrmun; I don't want them. They're yours; you need them."  
  
"Need them? Look at me; I lost. I have nothing now. There's no need in my keeping them. I don't know how I've ever became a member of Team Rocket's Elite Force in the first place; I never realized what a lousy trainer I was."  
  
"Don't," Matt replied. "If this is your last ditch effort: a guilt trip, then shut up. You're not going to get any sympathy from me. You deserve none."  
  
"I can't go back to Giovanni now. If he realizes about how miserably I failed, then I'll be demoted, if he doesn't already kill me. I don't even understand now why I've joined Team Rocket."  
  
Matt knelt down in front of Arrmun. "You're doing it to survive."  
  
Arrmun quickly raised his head and looked deeply into Matt. "How...how did you figure that out?"  
  
"Because right now you're obviously questioning your motives," Matt replied. "If the sole reason of your joining Team Rocket was to make a large salary to support yourself, and possibly other members of your family, I'm certain you've questioned your conscience often." He then shuddered at what he just said. "Whoa! What the hell am I saying to you?! Why am I talking to some criminal, hoping he could understand?!"  
  
Arrmun looked up at Matt. "I...I'm so sorry for the trouble I've been causing. Please give my regards to Lizzie. I'll be on my way." Arrmun stood up, and began to walk with his back facing Matt, his Pokéballs in hand.  
  
"Arrmun," Matt called out. Arrmun turned around. "Arrmun, what does this mean? Have you quit Team Rocket?"  
  
Arrmun turned around and grinned. For the first time, Matt saw no evil in his eyes, nor an evil intention in his smile. "You said it, not me."  
  
"Arrmun, if you're fighting against Team Rocket, come with us. We can be able to help you!"  
  
"Sorry, but I'm an adult, I can take care of myself," he replied, turning around again. "However, if you ever come around to kill me, I may be defenseless."  
  
"That's not what I meant."  
  
"Yes, I knew what you meant. But I'm serious. I should be able to take care of myself instead of the financial support from an evil organization. Thank you for the offer, though."  
  
"Will we meet again?" Matt asked.  
  
Arrmun stopped walking. "Well, since you're going to compete in the Pokémon League, I may stop by once and a while. I have an old 'friend' to visit there, anyway. I hope I'll see you around soon." Arrmun walked off again, holding up his arm as if he was waving. Matt stood there, watching him until he couldn't see him anymore. He then heard some more rustling nearby as he turned his head towards it. It was Lizzie; she then ran towards Matt to greet both him and Squirtle.  
  
"Matt! Thank God. I went to see Jordan, then he told me to come back and get you." She noticed the slight grin that appeared across his face. "Hey, did something happen?  
  
Matt faced Lizzie as the grin eventually grew into a smile. He hadn't felt this optimistic in a very long time; ever since the beginning of his Pokémon journey. "Yes, something did happen. Something amazing, actually. You can rest assured, there isn't going to be anymore side-tracking for us anymore on our long journey...."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	25. Dark Images of Paranoia

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 25: Dark Images of Paranoia  
  
  
  
Matt pulled the sheets all the way up to his neck and let out a big sigh of relief. He already was capable of competing in the Pokémon League, with the hidden badges, but felt that the other Indigo Badges were just as good enough to obtain, not to mention Lizzie herself needs one more badge in order to compete. He looked around in the room of the Pokémon Center; Lizzie and Jordan seemed to be fast asleep, but Matt was constantly in thought. Arrmun had promised that there are to be no more attacks from Team Rocket but, how could he trust him? Arrmun left Team Rocket so, wouldn't others start to chase him as well?  
  
Matt had difficulty getting to sleep, which disturbed him, because nothing should be wrong. He was always in thought. Always thinking about Lizzie, his Squirtle, Jordan, and just about Pokémon training in general.  
  
After two hours, Matt finally managed to fall asleep. He only managed to have nightmares. Some of them shorter than others, but most of them were about Pokémon. Terrible, clear images appeared into his head about Pokémon being personal slaves. Human slaves. If one was seen in the wild, a human would come up and swipe it from its natural habitat.  
  
Matt suddenly began seeing even more images. Pokémon becoming whipped, crying in pain. He saw several images of Pokémon, lying on hard concrete, with several cuts and bruises, lying in its own blood, and being left for dead  
  
Matt shot up as a cold sweat dripped on his face. He buried his face in his hands. When he removed them, he could see that they were shaking. Of what? The body only shakes when it is cold or...when it is scared. His hands were warm; why is he scared? There shouldn't be anything to be afraid of, not according to Matt anyway.  
  
Why was he afraid? Matt closed his eyes and thought for a moment. Then suddenly, he remembered those frightening images which occured. All of them. He looked at his Squirtle, who was sleeping on the foot of the bed. "Zenigame..." he whispered, "do you think yourself as a slave, and of me your abuser?" He buried his face in his hands and breathed heavily. "I never thought of Pokémon training just like chaining up people and forcing them to work."  
  
"You're talking too loudly; you should be asleep," Lizzie mumbled, while waking up. "Matt, what's wrong?"  
  
"Do you have any idea who we are, Lizzie?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Look at it this way; we've captured Pokémon from their normal, wild habitat, and force them to fight, whenever we call upon them," Matt explained.  
  
"So?"  
  
"So, we're basically just taking them, and using them for our own greedy desires. Why did I even become a Pokémon trainer in the first place? I never even thought of it as some kind of torture."  
  
"Is it torture?" Lizzie began, grabbing Matt's attention. "Pokémon fight because they want us to be proud of them. They fight for us, not for themselves. They look up to us."  
  
"Yeah, right. 'Do this, do that, jump out of the way'. It seems that we're only using them to fulfill our dreams; it's almost as if we're using them to do our dirty work. It sounds far too similar like Team Rocket"  
  
"Matt, listen to me. You are a responsible trainer--"  
  
"I am? Then explain all of these hardships I've been coming across lately? I've been leading us into trouble! Can you remember the amount of times you've had to get me under control because of my ridiculous inability to maintian my emotions?"  
  
"Well, you'll just have to work on it then. But don't do it for me, do it for yourself. Because you can even hurt yourself if you do something rash." Lizzie then lay herself down and closed her eyes.  
  
"That doesn't explain what I'm getting at--"  
  
"Matt, look at it this way," Lizzie began with her eyes closed. "Pokémon don't fight because we tell them to. Fighting is in their blood, their spirit. If a Pokémon is chosen to battle, it's honoured. It doesn't become afraid to battle, depending on the trainer. You are a very good trainer. Zenigame loves fighting for you, he really does..." Lizzie then dozed off.  
  
Matt sighed, suddenly realizing what Lizzie had said. "Yeah. Thanks again, Lizzie. If I've never met you, who knows what kind of problems that I would have." He yawned, lay back down and closed his eyes. "But there are some very cruel Pokémon trainers out there...."  
  
* * *  
  
"Are we ready?" Jordan asked. "It'll take at least half an hour to get to the port, and the next ferry could be leaving in forty-five minutes. That's the last one today."  
  
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Matt scrambled to put on his jacket and his backpack. He then looked out the window and groaned. "Are you kidding me?! It's raining!"  
  
"Great, we'll get there sooner then!" Jordan replied, laughing. Matt and Lizzie looked at him strangely. "Well, we'll have to run, won't we?"  
  
"Well, who says we have to go to Cinnibar Island today?" Lizzie asked. "I mean, we've been together, how long, at least a month and a half, right? The Indigo tournemt doesn't start until much, much later. Why don't we just take the day off?"  
  
"Sure, let's help out with the Pokémon Center. We need to do something to keep us busy," Matt replied.  
  
"Uh...I was actually thinking of relaxing, but you can go and help if you want."  
  
"Yeah, relaxing actually sounds like a better idea," Matt replied, yawning.  
  
Jordan looked at Matt. "You look really tired, did you get any sleep at all last night, Matt?"  
  
Matt shook his head. "I kept waking up. I had these weird nightmares. And everytime I woke up, it took me about an hour to finally get back to sleep."  
  
"Something's wrong," Jordan commented.  
  
"Pardon me?" Matt asked.  
  
"If you didn't manage to get any sleep, then something's bothering you. I've heard of restless nights, but you seem really tense right now."  
  
Matt smiled. "Thanks, but I'm all right. Maybe I'll just nap a little bit this afternoon."  
  
Lizzie looked through her backpack. "We're out of Greatballs; should we pick some up a little bit later on?"  
  
Jordan nodded. "It's a good idea. The prices seemed to have dropped since they're surprisingly popular. We should pick up a few more."  
  
Matt yawned again. "Geez...my mind's clouded up, I can't seem to pay attention. What are we going to do later?"  
  
"Wow, Matt, I think you should lie down some more. You really need some sleep," Lizzie replied.  
  
Matt nodded slowly. "All right. Sorry about this..."  
  
"Hey, it happens to all of us, don't worry," Jordan replied, patting Matt on the back. "If it stops raining, and if you're up by then, we'll be heading out around noon."  
  
Matt nodded. "All right."  
  
"See you later," Lizzie replied, as she exited the bedroom. Jordan also left the room, closing the door gently behind him. Matt placed himself down on the bed and sighed. Almost instantly, he drifted off to sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
After about three hours, Matt had awakened. It seemed brighter outside, and the rain had stopped. He stretched and rolled out of the bed, onto his feet. He then clutched his head with his hands. "What is wrong with me?" he asked himself. "I keep thinking too much, and I keep doing stupid things" He pictured Lizzie in his mind and pictured his kiss to her. "Why did I even think of doing that? I made a complete idiot of myself. I'm surprised I can keep a straight face everytime I talk to her from now on."  
  
Lizzie opened the door and saw Matt holding his head. "Oh, you are up. Are you okay?"  
  
Matt, slightly startled, quickly jolted his head towards Lizzie. "Oh, yeah, I'm okay."   
  
"Oh come on, you can tell me..." She sat down beside him. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I just have a lot on my mind..."  
  
"And that's why you need to share it. If you don't vent your feelings, it'll cause stress. Now tell me, what's wrong?"  
  
"It'll cause stress for maybe you, but I don't need to vent myself in order to feel better." He looked at her. "Why are you still around me?"  
  
"We already discussed this last night."  
  
"No, seriously!" Matt jumped up to his and looked at Lizzie. "I can't believe how stupid I've been! Time after time after time. We've been stalked, trapped at gunpoint, captured and thrown into prison. Do I seem like a responsible trainer to you?!"  
  
"That's enough..." Lizzie muttered. "Now you're starting to whine."  
  
"Oh? Then why did you ask me to say anything in the first place?"  
  
"You're letting it bother you, that's all. I'm just trying to help."  
  
"Of course they're bothering me! These thoughts are going to haunt me for as long as I live!"  
  
"Matt, stop it. You're really worrying myself and Jordan. You're letting these thoughts get to you too much. It's starting to affect your personality. If you don't stop this now, you're going to feel miserable for the rest of your life. Do you want this to happen?"  
  
"No..." Matt muttered. "I just want everything to go away."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Excuse me, I need to be alone..." Matt grabbed his backpack and Pokéballs.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"I'm leaving; I'm really not in the mood for arguing right now."  
  
"No, you're not!"  
  
"Look, I just need some time on my own!"  
  
"What is with you? Why are you trying to do things on your own?" Lizzie stood up. "We can help you, you know. There's no need to think that you're being a bother to us, because you're not! You're not endangering us, and you're not slowing us down."  
  
"Leave him alone," Jordan added, suddenly walking in. "Lizzie; Matt definately has a lot on hid mind right now, and he feels he needs some open space. He's feeling an awful lot of pressure lately, and is feeling rather uncomfortable right now."  
  
"I'm going to the port," Matt walked to the front desk.  
  
"Well, we'll go with you then," Lizzie said.  
  
"Lizzie, didn't you just hear what I said?"  
  
"Yes, we should go to the port, and once we get on the ship, we'll let Matt on his own, and do something by himself. Is that all right?"  
  
Matt picked up Squirtle. "Fine with me."  
  
* * *  
  
"Wow...such a large room!" Lizzie looked around in the brightly coloured bedroom in which the group was staying. The wall was decorated with some oil pantings; some plants rested in the corner of the room. There was one bed close to the entrance to the restroom, and a bunk bed right by the small, circular window. Next to that was a small acquarium, filled with some small fish. "Ooh, bunk beds! I get the top bunk!" Lizzie quickly pulled herself on top of the matress.  
  
"You know, there's a ladder on the side of the bed," Matt pointed.  
  
"Was it there? I didn't notice."  
  
Squirtle climbed on top of the bottom bunk and stared at the small fish swimming around carelessly.  
  
"Well, we're off. We'll see you at dinner, all right?" Jordan said.  
  
Matt looked at Jordan. "Dinner? That's not for another four hours!"  
  
"Good, then you should feel better by the time we get back!"  
  
"I don't want to do anything..." Matt sat on top of the bed looked at the aquarium along with Squirtle.  
  
"Oh, go and do something fun! Be like you were when we first met, all right? Like you said, Team Rocket's gone!" Lizzie jumped off the bed, and left the room with Jordan.  
  
Matt walked up and closed the door. He then let out a deep sigh.  
  
"Squirtle?" Squirtle asked, looking at Matt.  
  
"Well, pal, it looks like it's just us for a while. You don't mind, do you?"  
  
Squirtle shook his head.  
  
"Good..." He looked at the aquarium. "Beautiful, isn't it? Crystal clear water, colourful rocks at the bottom, rainbow fish swimming about...the sea is a wonderful place."  
  
Squirtle looked at Matt, giving him complete attention.  
  
"Water is so clensing and pure...it cleans itself always..."  
  
"Squirtle!" Squirtle ran to Matt's backpack, and unzipped it.  
  
"Hey! You snoop!" Matt saw Squirtle pull out a pair of his swimming trunks. "That's right! I had packed a pair just in case, though I didn't think I would actually be using htem!" He took the bright orange pair. "This ferry has a pool, too, doesn't it? It's huge. Pardon me a moment." He dashed into the bathroom and shut the door. He removed his clothing, and made a large pile on the floor before putting on his swimming trunks. He looked at himself in the mirror and gave himself a sour look. "Yeesh, I'm losing weight again...well, I'll won't be able to say that at dinner, won't I?"  
  
He exited the bathroom and placed all of his clothing on the lonely bed right next to it.  
  
"Okay, first we have to go down to the lobby and pick up a towel or so. Let's go!"  
  
Matt allowed Squirtle to ride on his shoulder as he picked up some towels from the main deck and followed directions towards the swimming pool. He was amazed at the size of it, when the ferry itself didn't seem to be so large. It was noisy, and crowded, mostly with younger kids. Splashing by performing cannon balls, screaming, and just having fun in general.  
  
"Sir..." a formally dressed man walked up to Matt and Squirtle.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"The sea water is salty, so when you're done, I recommend you use the shower room in the right," he pointed.  
  
Matt looked towards the pool, and back at the man. "You mean this pool is full of sea water?"  
  
"Yes, and it is chlorinated slightly, so if you wish to look underwater, I suggest a pair of goggles; the salt or the chlorine isn't very good for your eyes."  
  
Matt smiled. "Thank you, I'll take up on that offer." Matt took a bright blue pair. He found a spot by the shallow end and decided to lay down his towel near there. He then looked at the sky. "It's so nice out. And that breeze feels so good. I hope I don't get sunburned, I forgot my sunscreen. Oh well..." Matt walked into an empty spot in the deep in and jumped right into the water.  
  
Squirtle leaped in soon after.  
  
Matt surfaced and pushed his hair back. "Wow...I feel refreshed..." Matt took in some more air and completely dunked himself once again underwater. He had seen his Squirtle swimming around at the bottom, along with some other water Pokémon.  
  
Matt then dove a few more times, swimming with his Squirtle, before surfacing once again. Squirtle playfully blew some water in his face, so Matt, up to the challenge began splashing him in return. He even decided to have a race with his Squirtle to see who was faster. Naturally, since Squirtle was indeed more vertatile in water, won everytime. Matt didn't care though. He was laughing, and smiling, and for the first time in ages was having a good time.  
  
After a while, he swam to the shallow end and decided to sit down, trying to keep as far away as he could from the children playing and splashing in the water. The water, even though he was sitting managed to barely cover his chest, so he felt that sitting there wasn't such a bad idea. Matt looked around for a whirlpool in which he could relax, but couldn't find one. So, he just decided to sit and relax in the shallow part of the pool.  
  
Matt nearly dozed off a few times, since the water against his body created a soothing feeling on his skin. He paid no attention to the noise from the other passengers; his mind seemed to clear up as he relaxed. Maybe a little too much. He then began to lean and relax a little bit more, before suddenly he shot up, as soon as his chin touched the water. He then looked around for a lifeguard.  
  
"Excuse me?" Matt asked a lifeguard who walked by. "Could you tell me what time it is, please?"  
  
The young, blonde lifeguard looked at her watch. "It's 5:30."  
  
Matt nodded. "Okay, thank you."  
  
"No problem." The lifeguard walked on by.  
  
"Geez, was I in the pool for two hours, already? Perhaps I should find Zenigame and go and do something else before dinner." He looked around. "Shoot, I can't remember the last time I saw him. He was underwater in the deep end, I think." Matt then looked around, and noticed much less people in the water than before.  
  
Matt put his goggles back over his eyes, took a deep breath and placed himself underwater once more as he swam to the deep end. He resurfaced, took another deep breath and dove underwater. He noticed many other water Pokémon, most of which he hadn't yet seen, but couldn't manage to find his Squirtle.  
  
He surfaced and climbed out of the pool. He then rubbed his arms, which felt dry and very itchy. "I've been in there far too long. I better rinse this stuff off..."  
  
After taking a quick rinse in the shower in the locker room, Matt walked back outside to the pool area and looked in the water.  
  
"Is something wrong?" the lifeguard he met from earlier asked.  
  
"I brought a Squirtle with me...but, I don't know where he is!"  
  
"Oh, I think I saw one heading for the main hall. A tall man and a teenage girl picked him off and ran off that way about ten minutes ago," the lifeguard pointed.  
  
"Thank you!" Matt grabbed his towel back from where he left it, surprised to find that it was still very dry, and ran off to where the lifeguard was pointing.  
  
"Hey--HEY!" the lifeguard yelled.  
  
Matt stopped and turned around. "What?"  
  
"NO running on the deck!"  
  
"Sorry, sorry!" Matt decided to speed-walk instead, walking through the long hall. At the end of the it, there was a door with a large sign which said 'Keep Out'. "What the...this sign wasn't here earlier..." Matt twisted the door and pulled it open. What he saw were several water Pokémon in cages, along with his Squirtle.  
  
"Squirtle!" Matt's Pokémon yelled.  
  
"Zenigame?!" Matt ran towards him. "Who put you in here?" Matt heard some silent laughter in the background and then turned to face two figures which he thought he would never see again. "No...no, it can't be."  
  
"Oh? But why can it not?" Zach snickered.  
  
"But...he promised..." Matt muttered.  
  
"Cloë, don't you have something to say? It has been a long while since we've seen the little rat." Zach ran his hands through his hair. "Surely you'd like to say something."  
  
"No, I have nothing to say. Nothing at all," Cloë bitterly replied, not facing either Zach or Matt.  
  
"I thought you two were in jail!" Matt exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"What a silly question," Cloë replied. "Look around you. Cages, full of Pokémon. Pokémon which we've stolen. And after being trapped in that ridiculous prison cell without parol for so long, it actually feels good."  
  
"But...Arrmun told me that Team Rocket wouldn't bother us anymore..." Matt muttered.  
  
"Arrmun? Oh right, I remember HIM..." Zach scoffed. "Possibly one of the most vulgar members of Team Rocket you would EVER find. He was always so rude, and he just wasn't very nice to his other fellow members."  
  
"Just because we were better dressed, and maintained," Cloë replied. "He thinks he's all that and more."  
  
"But I found out this morning that he left Team Rocket. Which was fortunate, because for the past month, we've been trying to get out with this," Zach held out a small spoon. "Which I felt was disgusting, because it destroyed my best pair of gloves; now look at me! I totally look disorganized, while Cloë is wearing her gloves, and I'm wearing nothing on my hands. It's degradeable!"  
  
"You guys are pathetic, you've just spoiled a perfectly good day."  
  
"Well, too bad your Pokémon aren't with you to assist you, so we'll just take you too!" Zach stepped back, and nudged at Cloë. "Go on, he's all yours."  
  
"What?! We didn't agree to this!" Cloë pulled Zach ahead of her, and pushed him in front of Matt. "You're the one who wants to get even with him!"  
  
"Me? You certainly aren't expecting ME to fight him, now are you?" Zach complained, constantly staring at Cloë. Matt, annoyed, pulled Zach towards him, and punched him right in the nose. Zach let out a squeal, then collapsed to the ground, with his nose bleeding a little bit.  
  
"I'll kill that cretin once I see him," Matt muttered, picturing Arrmun in his head. He carefully stepped over Zach and approached Cloë at a rapid pace.  
  
"Now, now now...young man, it's impolite to hit a lady. Particularly a lady as gorgeous and beautiful as I."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind when I see one."  
  
"Oh thank you thank--what?"  
  
Matt walked in front of Cloë, and pounded his fist into the wall, cornering her. "Let all of these Pokémon go."  
  
"Get back. I'm warning you, get back. You've never heard me scream, have you? You should be aware that my screaming can knock one out for a very long time!"  
  
"Oh, are you afraid? Okay, let's see if--UGH!" Matt was interrupted as he looked around him. His entire body was covered by thick, green vines. "What is this?! You sneaky son of a--"  
  
"Excuse me?" Zach interrupted. "It is very impolite to talk that way to your elders. Not to mention the damage you put on my beautiful face. You will pay for that greatly. Venusaur! Take him out back; we'll deal with him later."  
  
"I don't think so..." a voice called behind Zach  
  
"You!" Zach gasped, backing away towards the cages.  
  
"Jordan!" Matt exlaimed, now with a broad smile across his face.  
  
"I saw you two board this ship just before we did, and I also saw you taking the Pokémon silently one by one," Jordan explained. Suddenly, several security guards entered the room.  
  
"Oh, bloody hell," Zach muttered.  
  
"Put the Venusaur away..." Jordan commanded.  
  
"Oh? You think we're finished?" Zach grabbed a smoke bomb from his pocket. "You want us to leave? Fine!"  
  
"No you don't!" Matt squirmed, trying to break free.  
  
Jordon leaped forward to grab the smoke bomb from Zach's hand, but Cloë shifted sideways from the corner of the room and knocked Jordan into the wall with an elbow. "Don't think this'll be as easy as the last time we met."  
  
Jordan cursed under his breath and pushed himself off of the wall. The instant he did that, the smoke bomb was thrown. Several voices of the security guards could be heard, such as several threats to fire the weapons they were holding.  
  
Matt felt the vines around his body loosen as he quickly turned around and watched a vine from Venusaur being drawn back to underneath its large flower on its back. Matt could only see a little bit of it, but enough as he could see the Venusaur being called back. He saw the beam from the Pokéball appear in the direction in which he was running, so he continued on rushing.  
  
Matt continued walking, having a difficult time seeing where exactly he was going. He noticed some of the smoke clearing, however.  
  
"Matt, are you there? Where are you?" Jordan cried. His voice seemed to be on the other side of the room.  
  
"I'm over here at the other end!" Matt yelled. "I'm going to continue following them!"  
  
"You don't have any Pokémon to protect yourself with!"  
  
"It's all right! My fists are strong enough!" Matt continued walking in the direction desired. The smoke cleared up a little bit more, as Matt heard a door closing ahead. He followed until he saw it, and walked through it. As he looked, he noticed Cloe and Zach running away with several caged water Pokémon in a large cart. "Hey!" he shouted, and began chasing them.  
  
Cloe turned around. "That pest! How did he find us?!"  
  
"Never mind, keep running!" Zach replied, as he turned a corner.  
  
Matt approached the corner several seconds later and quicly made a sharp turn. As he continued running, he found himself looking at a hall which lead both ways. He looked in both directions. "Damn it! Which way did they go?!"  
  
Matt decided to make up his mind quickly and decided to take a left. While reaching the other corner, he turned, and saw a dead end. He instantly turned around and headed towards the opposite direciton. Finding a set of stairs, he quickly ran down them, but was surprised to what he saw at the bottom. He saw Team Rocket lying on the ground, bruised and groaning in pain. As he looked around, he saw Lizzie. "Hey, what happened?"  
  
"I took care of them!" Lizzie smiled.  
  
"What did you do?" He looked at the fallen duo and scattered cages.  
  
"Well, I saw your Pokéballs lying around, and when I heard Jordan talking about Team Rocket stealing Pokémon from the pool, I took your Bulbasaur," Lizzie explained.  
  
"How did you get it to listen to you?" Matt asked. "And why didn't you use one of your own?"  
  
"I don't know. I guess it's because I'm cute." She giggled.  
  
Matt chuckled, then ran his hands through his dampened hair and released a sigh of slight disappointment. "It's too bad...I managed to see through their smoke bomb, I was hoping that I could catch them."  
  
"What? Is there a problem with my being the hero for once?" Lizzie asked. "You and Jordan always get the spotlight!"  
  
Matt smiled. "I don't find a problem with that at all."  
  
"Well, how are you feeling?"  
  
"Much better and relaxed."  
  
"Really? It looks like something's been eating at your skin!"  
  
Matt looked at his bare chest and blushed. He had forgotten that he had been wearing just his swimming trunks. Upon his noticing, he felt a slight chill and noticed that his skin everywhere was breaking. "Yeah, I've been swimming in salt water for nearly two hours. So, where's my Squirtle?"  
  
"Here, let me free him," Lizzie opened the cage and took out a fatigued Squirtle. "This seems to be the only one, so I'm guessing it's Zenigame."  
  
"Poor guy. Oh well, at least we both got to relax." Matt took him from Lizzie's hands. "He seems to be all right. Let's find Jordan and have some dinner. I haven't had lunch."  
  
"Yes you have! You ate a bowl of soup!"  
  
"I did? Wasn't that yesterday?"  
  
"No, it was before we left! Don't you remember?"  
  
Matt let out a nervous smile. "I guess that swim must have completely soothed my memory down..."  
  
"Well, at least it keeps a lot of things off your mind; you do sound a lot better."  
  
Matt thought about what Lizzie said, and realized it was true. His temper, his frustration, his recent dreams, almost everything which occured. He refused to allow the sad, depressing feelings bother him anymore. No, Matt feels rejuvinated, almost as if he had witnessed a second birth.  
  
"So, want to get dressed so we can finally have dinner?"  
  
"Please, I'm really hungry. Oh, and we can even watch the sunset afterwards."  
  
"Ooh, aren't you romantic?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, you thought the two of us alone!"  
  
"Yeah, I know. I was only kidding."  
  
"Were you?" Matt smiled nervously. "Let's go, I'm hungry!"  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	26. Next Gym!

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 26: Next Gym!  
  
  
  
Matt was outside, early the next morning; he was out on the deck, looking in the direction that the cruise ship was sailind. He continued to wonder how much longer it would take to Cinnibar, very eager to try and earn another badge.  
  
Matt's Squirtle, Lizzie and Jordan were still asleep inside the ship. Neither of them could understand how Matt could get up so early in the mornings, since there really was no explanation for it.  
  
Matt yawned as he continued to look out towards the sea. He noticed that it seemed to get brighter every minute. The sun must be rising, he thought. Good, it's a new day, and I really want to give my new rejuvinated self a try.  
  
"Having a hard time sleeping? Or are you sick?" a man behind him asked.  
  
Matt turned around. "No, sir. I'm just an early bird. And I'm not sick."  
  
The man smiled. Matt saw that he was wearing a white sailor suit. Could this be the captain? "Well, just making sure, because you've been staring out to sea for an hour."  
  
This comment made Matt feel rather uncomfortable. "You were watching me?"  
  
The sailor laughed, then shook his head. "No worries, kid. It's not like I'm stalking you or anything. I was just unsure whether or not you were sick. Because I've had a lot of passengers sick in my earlier days."  
  
Matt chuckled nervously. "I...I can see that." He blinked and turns his head to the side.  
  
The sailor smiled. "Aww, don't worry about it. So, do you like the ocean?"  
  
Matt turned his eyes back towards it. "Yes, I think it's rather neat."  
  
"You a Pokémon trainer?"  
  
Matt felt rather uneasy again, being constantly applied with one question after another. "Yeah...why do you ask?"  
  
"Just curious is all."  
  
Matt eyed the sailor. "Are you bored or something?" he asked, before suddenly realizing how impolite that question was. "Sorry, it just seems that way," he added.  
  
"Nah, it's all right. I'm actually on my break."  
  
"Your breaks are an hour long?" Matt asked.  
  
The sailor laughed. "No, I was watching you from inside. The other sailors like to smoke, so I always come outside on my breaks. Second-hand smoke is bad for you, worse than smoking itself."  
  
"I don't blame you," Matt added. "So, do you know when we'll be reaching Cinnibar?"  
  
The sailor looked at his watch. "Well, it's 6:43 now; we should be there by nine this morning."  
  
Matt smiled. "We're gonna be there much sooner than I thought! Thanks. I'll make sure my friends are awake at that time."  
  
"No problem. I'll be going back down below."  
  
"Have fun," Matt replied.  
  
The sailor smiled. "Don't worry, I think I'll open a window on my next break."  
  
Matt chortled. He smiled, then looked back out to the sea, seeing more of the sun then he could even a few minutes ago. He took one last look and decided that he wanted something to eat. He started walking back inside, but then realized that they didn't serve breakfast for at least another hour.  
  
"It's been a while since I've spoken to Professor Oak, or my family. I think I'll go do that now--oh wait, they're still asleep. Oh, I'll call them anyway, and leave a message or something."  
  
Matt walked inside the lobby, and looked for a telephone with an added computer monitor. He had forgotten the professor's number, so he had to use his Pokédex. After a few rings, a very tired professor picked up the phone. "Hello...?"  
  
"Professor? Did I wake you?!" Matt suddenly felt rather guilty.  
  
The professor rubbed his eyes. "Oh, it's you, Matt! No, you didn't wake me up; a flock of Spearows attacked my garden about twenty minutes ago. It took me a while to chase them away. Now, I can't seem to go back to sleep."  
  
Matt tried to hold back his laughter. "I'm sorry to hear that. I never knew you had a garden!"  
  
"It's where I grow vegetables for the Pokémon that are sent back here. By the way, I've been going through my files lately, and I've noticed that you already qualify for the Pokémon League! Where are you now?"  
  
"I'm on my way to Cinnibar; I'm actually going to try and get the Volcano Badge," Matt replied.  
  
The Professor gave Matt a bizzare gesture and looked at him. "But...don't you have it already?"  
  
"No, you see, I have the Boulder, Cascade, Thunder, Rainbow, Marsh and Soul. I don't have the other two."  
  
"That's very odd, did you get badges from elsewhere, then?"  
  
"Well, I picked up a couple of hidden gym badges. Blue and Red Crystal I believe they're called."  
  
"Impressive, I never thought that anybody would go looking for those. Mostly, trainers who have collected all of their badges look for hidden gyms."  
  
"Well, we kinda stumbled on them by accident. We really weren't looking for them."  
  
"I see. So, it's only about three months until the Pokémon League. If you wish, you can quit and come back to Pallet Town for a little training."  
  
"For three months? It's that long of a wait?"  
  
"Hey, it gets you well prepared, doesn't it?"  
  
"I suppose so...I'll think about it. I'll get the badge in Cinnibar, and then come back. If the gym leader decides to return in Viridian, I guess I could pay them a visit, too."  
  
"Just let me see for a second." The professor typed something up on a computer and located the Viridian Gym. "Nope, still abandoned. But the problem is, since Viridian doesn't have very strong Pokémon, it's very difficult to find highly skilled gym leaders."  
  
"Well, if the Pokémon aren't very strong at that level, then shouldn't it be a starter gym?"  
  
"That is a rather large debatable topic. But the leader is gone. How about you finish up in Cinnibar and come straight to my laboratory? I've found a strange egg, and I want to show it to you. How long do you think you'll be?"  
  
"Geez, I don't know. Since Cinnibar is relatively close to Pallet, I'm guessing in a few days time, maybe...?"  
  
"Sounds good. You seem to be doing well. How is your Squirtle?"  
  
"He's grown a lot. I think that he may evolve soon."  
  
"Do you want him to evolve?"  
  
"To be honest, I'm not sure. I don't think I'm quite ready to control an evolved Pokémon yet."  
  
The professor loaded Matt's data. "It says here that you own a Charmeleon."  
  
"Well, it was abandoned, and I picked it up. I just mean that I'm not quite ready for the quick change. I'm not sure if it'll listen to me or not. I have a friend with a Charizard who just suddenly decided to do what it wanted, and he disciplines his Pokémon very well."  
  
"You'll do fine," he replied, looking at his watch, and shaking his head. "Well, see what you can do at the Cinnibar gym, and come back to Pallet. I'm sure you wouldn't mind taking a short break."  
  
"No, I guess not." Matt laughed. "If it isn't for another three months, then of course I'm going to relax."  
  
"I'll talk to you soon, and thanks for calling! Now, I'll just have to clean up my garden." The professor hung up as the monitor on Matt's side went blank. He then hung up the receiver, which then completely broke the connection. Matt looked at the clock inside his room. It was now nearly 7:00. Did I really speak to the professor for that long? It didn't seem like it, Matt said to himself. Oh well, I'll go and get ready then.  
  
Matt went back into his room and found a pair of clean clothes. He then showered and brushed his teeth. Afterwards, he was ready for the day.  
  
Matt saw that Jordan and Lizzie were still asleep. "Sheesh, you'll never get anywhere if you only decide to sleep the whole time. Ah well, more food for me!" He then looked at his Squirtle, who was still asleep. "Heh, I guess you don't want anything either."  
  
Matt walked down to the dining room which had a buffet ready; everything was hot and fresh. Matt filled a plate full of pancakes, bacon and eggs. As he sat down on a clean, empty table with a glass of orange juice he stared at his food. "I don't remember the last time I ever had a breakfast like this. I only managed to eat an energy bar. The only 'real' meal we've ever had was lunch. Well, since it's all you can eat, I might as well fill up now. It should help me think for the battle in Cinnibar." Matt then quickly finished up his plate and went for seconds.  
  
After eating for half an hour, he checked a nearby clock. "We must be really close soon," he said aloud. He finished his orange juice, and walked back into his room to prepare himself for the day.  
  
* * *  
  
After exiting a very crowded Pokémon Center on Cinnibar Island, Matt, Lizzie and Jordan were grabbing their breaths, since they had to push through a ridiculously large line-up of people just to get through the front doors.  
  
"What is UP with this place?! It seems like it's just for tourists only!" Lizzie shouted.  
  
"How annoying," Jordan commented. "I don't recall Cinnibar being completely loaded with tourists; a Pokémon Center is a place where Pokémon are supposed to be healed. I'm sure there are other places to do some sight-seeing."  
  
"No kidding! It was so packed we couldn't even get our Pokémon healed!" Lizzie frowned. "But it's not like it matters. Our Pokémon haven't done any battling the past couple of days, well, except for my using Matt's Bulbasaur for one attack. But other than that, if we really needed to get in there, we couldn't!"  
  
"I swear to God we were the only Pokémon trainers there. Hell, I think we're the only Pokémon trainers here!" Matt said, shaking his head in confusion and disgust.  
  
"Come on, we need to find the gym. Let's just get the damned Volcano Badge and get off of this island," Lizzie complained.  
  
"I think we all do. The gym's just a little ways to the east if I remember correctly," Jordan pointed.  
  
After passing through mountains of groups of tourists, Jordan continued to lead the way; remembering where the gym was. As they pass through the intersection, they crossed the street and stopped. They stared what was ahead of them and could not believe their eyes. In front of them were large pieces of debris, charred. It was almost as if it was burned to the ground relatively recently.  
  
"Don't tell me," Matt began. "This can't be the gym. It's impossible Don't tell me we traveled all this way for THIS."  
  
Jordan took a good look at the damage. He picked up and inspected a piece of the debris. "It appears that this was a recent event. How did this happen?" He looked around, wondering if there were any other places where the gym could temporarily be placed. "It doesn't look like there are any other places where the gym could be. Unless you want to waste time in this crowd looking for one."  
  
"No thanks..." Matt commented.  
  
Lizzie released an angry sigh. "Are you kidding me?! I still need another badge! One more, that's all I needed! One!"  
  
"I'd better double-check. Matt pulled out his map and observed it carefully. He shook his head. "It had to have been a more recent event; because I purchased this map the day I left home. It says we're in the right spot."  
  
"Perhaps the gym here just shut down, due to lack of Pokémon trainers?" Jordan suggested. "But then again, that wouldn't make much sense, would it? Official gyms couldn't close down. And even if it did, I think they would find better ways of demoloshing a building other than burning it down."  
  
"So, I guess for a while, there's no Volcano Badge." Lizzie sighed. "It isn't fair."  
  
"Well, thankfully this isn't a major problem, I mean we all qualify for the Pokémon League now with the hidden badges and all."  
  
"Not me!" Lizzie exclaimed.  
  
"Huh?" Matt looked at her.  
  
"Are you forgetting that I couldn't get the Red Crystal Badge?" Lizzie shouted, frustrated. "Because Team Rocket chased us away during the tournament, remember?"  
  
"Oh, that's right," Matt replied, admittingly forgetting. But with the gym burnt down, and another one that doesn't seem to be in sight, what are our options?"  
  
"I suppose I could go challenge the leader in Viridian...if there is a leader," Lizzie suggested rather doubtfully.  
  
Matt shook his head. "No, I called the professor this morning, and he said that they can't find a trainer good enough to be a gym leader."  
  
Jordan looked at his watch. "Guys, I hate to be the bearer of bad news to you, but...remember where I said I would be parting?"  
  
Both Matt and Lizzie looked at Jordan with disbelief in their eyes.  
  
"I said I could only go as far as here, I'm expected at the laboratory, which I hope hasn't been burned down, too."  
  
"Oh...right...will you be leaving now?" Matt asked.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Lizzie asked. "I thought you were going to explore other Pokémon Leagues; that's what you told me!"  
  
"Yes, yes, I know." Jordan sighed. "But I said that I wasn't certain of what I was going to do. I would actually prefer checking out their laboratory here, making sure that they know about Team Rocket. I also need to contact the Elite Four back in Viridian City to make sure that they know as well. They've been starting to spring out practically everywhere; I checked the news today.  
  
"At any rate, I'm sorry I couldn't stay much longer. I really had a lot of fun traveling with you guys. We've learned a lot from each other, I'm sure. Even though I was a former member of the Elite Four, I always manage to learn something new, even from new trainers such as yourselves."  
  
"When will we see you again?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"I'll try to make it to the Pokémon League to watch both of you compete. Not to mention I still have some business to attend to there, as well."  
  
"Sounds good to me," Matt replied.  
  
"You both are very good trainers. Don't get discouraged now, all right?" Jordan smiled.  
  
"Hey, we're pretty much the best around! We'll be fine!" Lizzie replied, winking.  
  
"It's going to be a dull couple of months, I promise you that much," Jordan replied, giving off a stiff laugh. "But hey, I'll try to give you guys a holler if possible."  
  
Matt extended his hand. "Until later?"  
  
Jordan took it. "Of course."  
  
Lizzie ran up and gave Jordan a long hug. "You make sure not to cause any large explosions, all right?" She asked.  
  
Jordan laughed. "Don't worry, I won't." He then said his last farewells as he then turned around and walked away. Matt and Lizzie didn't take their eyes off him until he was entirely out of sight.  
  
Matt then looked at Lizzie and smiled. "So, will you be heading back to Cerulean, then?"  
  
Lizzie nodded. "I'll say hi to my parents, then head down to Viridian."  
  
"All right then, I'll be at home, too. I'll start training, and maybe even bug Professor Oak once in a while." Matt laughed at the thought.  
  
Lizzie giggled and gave Matt a large hug. "Even if I don't get the badge in Viridian, I'll be sure to get another one somewhere."  
  
Matt smiled and blushed. "You come and visit me afterwards, all right? I need to have a sparring partner for when I train."  
  
"No problem! Will it hurt if you wait two weeks for me to come and kick your butt?"  
  
"I beg your pardon?" Matt teased. "I believe you've made a mistake."  
  
"No, I don't believe I did." She laughed. They both smiled and started at each other. "Well, if neither one of us goes soon, then we'll never leave!" Lizzie smiled.  
  
"Who says we have to go separately? We both need to go back to the port. I need to go back to Pallet, and I don't know where you'll be headed."  
  
"I'll be going onto one which will hopefully take me as close to Cerulean as possible, but I'm not exactly sure. I'll have to check their schedule and their route. Shall we go together?"  
  
"All right."  
  
* * *  
  
Matt stared into the sunsetting sky from his single bed in the guestroom. He then pulled out his note book and decided to update his journal. He spoke as he wrote in his room. 'Far too much happened to me today. I landed at Cinnibar to look for the gym. Unfortunately, it seemed to have been burnt down, and now, nobody can compete for a badge there. Ah, well, I already have eight badges, so I qualify for the league automatically. Jordan had to go back to the lab for some research, and I've been reading about special Masterballs that are being tested; I hope he can bring back some of those. I personally wouldn't mind testing them out for myself.'  
  
'But then, Lizzie reminded me that she didn't get the second hidden badge, and now, she has to go and collect a badge from either Viridian Gym, but she might have to try somewhere else, because the leader has been gone for as long as I can remember....  
  
'So, now both two of my greatest friends have parted temporarily. While I'll see Lizzie sometime soon, I'm hoping I can see Jordan before my commencement in the Pokémon League. Now all that's left is to go home and bug my parents. And, I just remembered something, too! The professor wants to show me some sort of egg that he found. I wonder if he'll let me have it? Wouldn't that be cool?' Matt then closed his journal and tucked it away into his backpack.  
  
He then stood up and looked out the window. "It took a long time, but now, it's time to get serious." He looked back at his Squirtle, who was staring at the small aquarium placed in the room. Matt walked over and picked him up. "Hungry, buddy? You're starting to give those goldfish a rather ominous look!"  
  
Squirtle nodded. "Squirtle!"  
  
"Great, let's grab some dinner then!" Matt equipped his belt with some minimized Pokéballs (just in case) as he left the room, closing it behind him. For the first time in nearly two months, he would return to the place where he had spent nearly sixteen years of his life.  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	27. Return to Pallet

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 27: Return to Pallet  
  
  
  
After Matt had payed a visit to his family once he returned to Pallet, he decided to go back to Professor Oak's laboratory. He was really interested in seeing this egg that he had discovered. For safety, and in case he saw a trainer out on the road, he took his Pokémon along with him.  
  
Matt moved his shoulders around a little bit. "Wow, it certainly feels odd not carrying a backpack with me. I can't believe I've traveled for so long. It's only been about two months. I wonder how the other trainers from here have been doing; I haven't heard from them, or about them."  
  
Matt approached the front door after ascending a few steps and knocked.  
  
Professor Oak answered with a smile. "Good afternoon! How are you today?"  
  
"Pretty good. I feel bad though, because I couldn't get the badge at Cinnibar."  
  
"Oh? What happened?"  
  
"It was burnt to the ground," Matt said, releasing a stiff laughter afterwards. He wasn't sure why that amused him.  
  
"That's sad to hear. I had received a letter from somebody named Jordan and a girl named Lizzie. Do you know who they are?"  
  
"They're friends of mine, and we traveled together for a little while. Jordan had to go work at the lab at Cinnibar, and Lizzie wanted to get another badge somewhere. She told me she'd join up with me later to train for the Pokémon League."  
  
"That's good! Well, the egg I've examined has started to shake a little bit, and I'm not quite sure when it may hatch. Come with me." The Professor lead himself and Matt to the room where the egg was being incubated. Matt had never been in this room before, so he took the opportunity to look around. In a way, it was similar to some of the other rooms: Pokéballs hanging from one shelf, and large, researching machines surrounding the walls. Lighting from the room came from florescent lights, as there were no windows anywhere.  
  
Matt took a look at a spotted Pokémon egg. He watched in awe. "THAT'S a Pokémon egg? It's huge!"  
  
"Well, I found it in the woods when your Clefairy went for a nature hike on its own. It was the one who discovered it."  
  
"Really? Isn't that something...I wonder what it could hatch into?"  
  
"More than likely a reptile."  
  
"I can't tell."  
  
"Well, would you like something to drink? I've made some tea."  
  
"Sure, what kind is it?"  
  
"Just regular tea, unless you prefer something else."  
  
"Not really," Matt shook his head. "Regardless, I just need to add some sugar to give it some sweetness."  
  
The professor smiled, and lead him into the living room. "Come, you must tell me everything."  
  
* * *  
  
"Wow...that's quite impressive. You've had quite the journey!"  
  
"Yeah, Team Rocket's still after me. I really don't know what to do. It seems I'm badly wanted for some reason."  
  
The Professor scratched his chin. "Hmm...well, it appears that secret organizations have been shut down and several involved have been thrown into prison lately. It was in this morning's newspaper. Did you have a chance to look at it?"  
  
"Huh? No, my family doesn't read the newspaper." Matt took the large, thick copy from the professor and read the front page. He saw a photo of one man talking to a policeman. He then read the article. "'Arrmun Colbolt (left), reports another secret organization of Team Rocket.'" He smiled. "So, he kept his promise after all."  
  
"What was that?" the Professor asked.  
  
"Oh, well, I had a little Pokémon battle with him a while back. And, since I won, he had promised me that there would be no more encounters from Team Rocket. I thought he meant that they wouldn't bug me anymore, but he's managing to shut down every single organization. Wow, and I thought he betrayed me; I had another encounter with others on the way to Cinnibar."  
  
"Interesting. Well, want to go and see if the egg has hatched yet?"  
  
Matt took one last sip of his tea cup and nearly choked before put it down. "You mean it's about to hatch? And...may I ask you a favour?"  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Would there be any chance of...me taking that Pokémon?" Matt asked shyly.  
  
The professor laughed. "Of course you may. But, since it's young, I have to make sure it's being properly fed for the first month or so. Can you wait that long?"  
  
Matt smiled. "As long as I get to keep it, I don't care!"  
  
The Professor and Matt walked back down to the room in which the Pokémon egg was being incubated, and to their surprise, the egg was just hatching. Professor Oak quickly dashed, and looked at the egg in awe, with Matt following, quite anxious to see what it could be.  
  
"Can you see anything?" Matt asked.  
  
"No...nothing yet."  
  
In a few minutes, the entire shell was completely removed, and what Matt and the Professor could see was a tiny, pale-green Pokémon with what appeared to be a leaf of some kind sprouting from its head. Matt couldn't see much more of it, for it was curled up into a ball.  
  
"Oh, it's a Chikorita!" the professor replied enthousiastically.  
  
"I've never seen such a creature before..." Matt commented.  
  
"Oh, it's one of those creatures that you can find in the Johto league."  
  
"Johto? Where's that?"  
  
"Oh, about Northwest of here," the professor replied. "Are you planning to go there? After you battle in the Pokémon League here you should go and give it a try!"  
  
Matt shrugged. "I'd rather take on the task that's at hand at the moment.."  
  
"Good idea," the trofessor replied. "There are several other leagues that you may want to compete for." He turned his attention to the newly hatched Pokémon. "So, this is a Chikorita. I never thought we would find any of their kind here."  
  
"That's weird," Matt commented. "You mean there's a whole batch of different Pokémon just in Johto?"  
  
"Oh, not just Johto, but other places as well. You see, Indigo is just an area where most of the Pokémon have moved. However, some of them can't travel long distances and are stuck where they are. So, I guess a family of Chikoritas managed to find their way down here."  
  
"And abandoned the egg?" Matt asked.  
  
"Perhaps. It may have fallen victim to animals at a higher food chain; Chikoritas are quite small in stature, afterall, even when fully grown. Or perhaps the egg just got lost, or its nest was raided and it decided to move on."  
  
"Well, as long as this one survived, that's all right." Matt smiled. "It's so cool. And I get to keep it?"  
  
"That's right...I better give it some milk right now. Would you like to stay a little bit longer?"  
  
"No thanks, I'd better go back home; my parents were a bit shocked after learning that I was just leaving again as soon as I got back, so, I thought they would rather have me hang around just like I used to, I guess."  
  
"No problem then. Train hard now."  
  
Matt faced Professor Oak and shook his hand. "Thank you, sir. I'll try my very best."  
  
* * *  
  
Matt threw himself on top of his bed. "Man...I'm stuffed. I have to keep reminding myself not to eat so much. Phew." He then looked at his Squirtle, who was still looking around his room. "Hey, buddy, what's up?"  
  
Squirtle looked at his trainer and smiled. "Squirtle!"  
  
Matt smiled. "Good, as long as you're all right, I don't mind."  
  
Matt's sister, Jess, then came into his room. "So...I hear you have a girlfriend?"  
  
Matt blushed. "Wha--ho--what?! No, I don't!"  
  
"Yes you do...you're stammering and you're blush-ing..." Jess replied with a sing-song style of voice.  
  
"Who told you that?"  
  
"Professor Oak. He told us that Lizzie called him and said that she'd be coming here in a few days. Why haven't you told mom and dad about her coming over?"  
  
"I don't recall this phone call being made. And how come you're still here? Why didn't you go out on a Pokémon journey of your own?"  
  
"I don't want to. Yeah, I know I like Pokémon and all that, but training...bluch. The idea makes me sick. Well, I suppose you'll want to be left alone...like always." Jess then left Matt's room and closed the door behind her.  
  
"Perhaps I shouldn't have returned home?" Matt asked himself. "Ah, whatever. It's fine to be back, so I shouldn't be complaining." Matt looked at his clock. "Yeesh, it's only 5:30. I would go out and train if there were only Pokémon trainers who came this way. I'll just have to wait for Lizzie to arrive."  
  
Matt stretched out on to his bed and sighed. "I've forgotten how soft this was. As a matter of fact, it feels softer than it usually did. I guess that's what happens when you sleep in sleeping bags and Pokémon Center beds for two months."  
  
Squirtle then approached Matt's bed and climbed up. While trying to move to the other side, he attempted to climb over his gut, except he tripped and fell.  
  
"Oof!" Matt yelled. "Hey, hey, hey! Watch where you're jumping! You don't want to make me sick, do you?"  
  
Squirtle blushed and jumped off on to another part of the bed. He then curled himself into his shell and decided to go to sleep. Matt looked around at everything in his bedroom. He looked at all of his Pokémon posters, merchandise, and his eyes eventually made their way to his bookshelf, which was completely filled with several study books, including books that he studied when he was younger.  
  
Matt walked over and took out one of the books. "This was the one I couldn't finish, because it was so long and complicated. But that was over five years ago. I should try to finish it now." Matt then opened the page to where a bookmark was placed, now covered in dust. Matt waved his hand in front of his face and coughed. "Wow, this book has been literally untouched for years!"  
  
Matt sat down and pulled out a chair. He read a little bit of the previous page to see where he was. "Ah, right, I remember. The Evolution Stone Chapter. I remember why I couldn't finish this book; these chapters were at least thirty to fifty pages long each." Matt looked at the different photographed types of evolution stones along with a very detailed description underneath. He then read five pages about what takes place during an evolution.  
  
He finished the chapter and moved on to the next. Pokémon Nutrition. Matt laughed as he read what was suggested. "Geez, if anybody wanted living proof of whatever's obsolete, this book here takes the cake! You can't feed these to a Pokémon, you'll kill it! 'Fiber, water, essential nutrients.' Geez, what a joke. You'll get the same effect just feeding them grass, or fruits and vegetables or whatever."  
  
Matt then managed to get himself to another chapter, which was the last one in the book. Pokémon Battle Strategies. He nodded in agreement to himself. "I like how these charts explain battle strategies, but it all seems too cliché, too simplistic. Sure, a basic offensive and defensive based style is good depending on the Pokémon. But attacking and guarding skills aren't what really matters most. It also has to be the speed, intelligence and stamina of a Pokémon. This book only displays certain offensive and defensive strategies. Even for beginning trainers, these are far too strange. Then again, a beginner couldn't use stuff like this; look at how it's explained! Sure, it's a good idea to keep things relatively simple, but by the way they explain this, a poor beginner's going to have a heart attack!"  
  
Matt then finished the book and put it away. He then looked at the clock, it was nearly 8:00. "Wow, time really flew by, didn't it? I think I might use some of those strategies...with a mixture of my own of course." He then yawned. "What the...why am I getting tired now? Well, I really should try and sleep. I'll think better if I sleep well." Matt then brushed his teeth, changed into his pajamas and curled up under the sheets into bed. He then turned off the light, placed his head on his pillow and let out a long, relaxed sigh. "This is so soft; I'm not sorry I came home...."  
  
* * *  
  
Matt looked around a few days later to see if Lizzie had arrived in town. After not being able to see her, he made another trip to Professor Oak's laboratory to see how his Chikorita was doing.  
  
"I just gave it its lunch," the professor stated. "It's such a playful little thing; I let it run around the lab now."  
  
"I'm surprised it could do that after only a few days..." Matt commented.  
  
"Pokémon are mysterious creatures." He looked back at Matt. "So, has your partner arrived yet?"  
  
Matt shook his head. "I've been waiting for her to arrive for the past few days, so now I'm just stuck at the house sitting around, and reading some old books."  
  
The professor grinned. "Cheer up. If she said she's going to be here, she will. I'm sure she'll call when she leaves."  
  
Matt nodded, then looked around at the Chikorita, running around the long hallways of the laboratory and laughed at its carefree attitude. "Wow, I can't wait to see how it'll look next month!"  
  
The professor smiled. "Just another week, and this thing'll be allowed to roam around outside!"  
  
"Wow, it's growing so fast, it makes me wonder how much of a hassle it is to take care of that thing."  
  
"Oh, it's no big deal. It's running around pretty much blindly now. I think I can get it to tame in about a week or so."  
  
"Something so young? Can you do that?"  
  
"Oh, it's not impossible. Why don't you find the Chikorita now? You should get to learn about its attitude and habits before you begin training it."  
  
"Why not?" Matt smiled. "I might as well, since I don't have anything else to do all day."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	28. Turning it up a Notch

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 28: Turning it up a Notch  
  
  
  
Matt decided to phone Lizzie, wondering and worrying why she hasn't arrived at his house yet. Perhaps he forgot to give her directions? Matt let out a heavy sigh. "God, why didn't I think of this before hand?"  
  
Jess, deciding to snoop, walked into Matt's room. "Ooh, what's this? Are you calling your girlfriend?"  
  
"What?" Matt shot around, and noticed that Jess was there. He blushed. He then motioned with his free arm for her to leave. "Yes, I'm just about to call her. Please, don't say or make any stupid noises while I'm talking to her, okay?"  
  
"Stupid?" Jess replied, shooting back at Matt a rather upsetting look. "You're not very nice, you know?" She then left his room.  
  
Matt rolled his eyes, then searched for a slip of paper on which his parents wrote down Lizzie's number. He then picked up the receiver and dialed the number. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to afford a monitor-phone, so Lizzie may not be able to see him, but he didn't mind. The phone rang.  
  
"Hello...?" a rather deep, husky female voice asked as soon as there was a quiet clicking noise.  
  
Matt, not recognizing the voice, thought it would have been better to introduce himself. "Hello, this is Matt. Matt Tenks. I want to know if Lizzie is there, please?" he asked.  
  
"Lizzie? Just a moment, I'll go get her for you," the voice replied. Matt blinked, and made a face. For some reason, the voice sounded bizarre. It sounded a little bit like Lizzie, except it sounded like it was slightly different. Perhaps they sound the same, he reassured himself.  
  
Matt pulled out a chair as he sat and waited for a few moments. Soon, he could hear some background noise, which included some footfalls, then heard a: "Hello?"  
  
"Lizzie?"  
  
"Speaking...is this Matt?"  
  
"Yeah. Did you get the badge at Viridian?"  
  
"Well, strangely enough, the Gym Leader returned just as I arrived there. Some freaky man. He was sitting in a chair with a Persian sitting beside him the whole time."  
  
"How did it turn out?"  
  
"Pretty good. I managed to do really well, but then, he brought out some WEIRD Pokémon."  
  
"Weird?"  
  
"Yeah, some sort of psychic creature. I don't know really how to explain it. It was mostly gray; it had weird hands, too. They weren't like paws, and they didn't have claws or anything, it just had three fingers. Its feet were kind of like a dog, or a cat. It had this really long tail. That's all I could make of it. It was really hard to see its face, but they were really shiny. Anyway, it just suddenly appeared, and knocked out all of my Pokémon in one blow each!"  
  
"So you lost?"  
  
"Obviously! Afterwards I returned to the Pokémon Center and asked to borrow a Pokédex. I must have searched through that entire encyclopedia about three times. I couldn't find any information: no pictures, no name, no data; nothing!"  
  
"Could it be one of those Pokémon that are found in other leagues? I was at Professor Oak's the other day, and he said that there are a lot of other Pokémon out there that he doesn't even know about yet."  
  
"I suppose so..."  
  
"But wait," Matt paused, "does that mean you can't compete for the Pokémon League now?"  
  
"Well, I have a couple of options."  
  
"What would that be?"  
  
"Well, I could take a couple of oral exams, and some battling tests, maybe. If I'm good enough, I'll get a badge that will automatically allow me admittance into the Pokémon League."  
  
"How long will that take?"  
  
"Umm...at least a week or two to prepare."  
  
"And here I am, sitting here for nearly two weeks doing nothing. I'm feeling really bad here. "  
  
"I'm sorry..." Lizzie replied, disappointed.  
  
"Whoa, don't apologize! I honestly should be wishing you luck! I mean, come on, you're about to go up against some really difficult exams, here!"  
  
"So, you've done no training at all, then?"  
  
"Nope," Matt replied, "if worst comes to worst I could always let two of my Pokémon out at a time and watch them beat each other up." He laughed.  
  
Lizzie giggled. "Well, you should go out into some fields and try fighting some of the wild Pokémon there."  
  
"That's a good idea, actually, but I'll hardly get any battling experience out of them. The only Pokémon that hang around here are Pidgey and Spearow. Those are the first ones that I've caught, actually. I haven't used them lately, though."  
  
"Well, what ELSE do you want me to suggest?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"I guess I could look up some battle strategies or something..."  
  
"Well, make sure you keep busy, okay?"  
  
"Fat chance. All I've been doing is sitting around and--oh! I forgot to tell you! The professor found an egg a little while back, and it hatched into a Chikorita!"  
  
"A Chiko-what? What the heck is that?"  
  
"Oh...it's some sort of Pokémon that appears in Johto. Maybe like that other one you saw in Viridian gym."  
  
"Geez, this is all too complicated. You mean there are other Pokémon that are exclusive only to Johto?"  
  
"Don't ask me," Matt muttered. "Anyway, I shouldn't keep you if you're going to study for those exams."  
  
"Hey, I'll call you later this week. How does that sound?"  
  
Matt smiled. "Perfect."  
  
"Okay? I'll see you later then!"  
  
The two said their goodbyes, then they hung up.  
  
Matt threw himself on top of his bed. "I'm so bored..." he whined. "I guess this means I have to wait another two weeks before I actually get something done."  
  
Matt laid still on the bed for a few minutes, when he heard a conversation strike between two people outside. He could only hear a bit of the conversation, since his window was closed. Suddenly, he wasn't quite sure, but he thought he heard the word 'Pokémon' appear. He quickly opened a window and listened some more.  
  
"...Yeah, you wanna do a three on three?" one kid asked.  
  
"Three on three? That's weak! We should do a full best-of-five!" the other kid replied.  
  
"That seems a bit harsh, but, you're on!"  
  
Matt turned around and smiled. "All right!" he yelled to himself. "The trainers are coming back now from their journeys! I should challenge a couple of them; that'll suit me perfect for the Pokémon League!"  
  
Matt picked up his Pokéballs and Greatbals that were lying on his desk, but he couldn't seem to find his Squirtle. "Hey! Zeni! Where are you?"  
  
"Are you looking for your Squirtle, dear?" Matt's mother asked him from downstairs.  
  
"Yeah! Have you seen him?"  
  
"I think your sister took him outside!"  
  
"What?" He let out an exasperated groan. "I told her to ask me if she was going to use them! What if I need him? As a matter of fact, I need him now!"  
  
"Oh come on now, she likes Pokémon; she wouldn't do anything to harm it."  
  
Matt dashed down the stairs and from the kitchen window he saw Jess playing with his Squirtle in the backyard. He quickly walked out the door yelling: "And just WHAT do you think you're doing?!"  
  
"Oh, calm down," Jess replied, "we're just having some fun."  
  
"You know, you should have said something first."  
  
"You were too busy talking on the phone with your girlfriend, so I didn't want to disturb you."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, can I have him back?" Matt asked, rolling his eyes. "I saw some trainers; I need to shape up before the Pokémon League starts."  
  
"What's the rush? You have months until it starts!"  
  
"Look, all of the other trainers are preparing already. I can't allow myself to fall behind. If I wait another half a month, then I could start to forget about my strategies."  
  
Jess handed Squirtle over to Matt. "Fine. But don't stay out too late; mom's already worried about you."  
  
"What else is new?" Matt patted his Squirtle's soft, yet hard head.  
  
As soon as Jess walked back inside, Matt leaped over the fence of his backyard and onto the dusty roads of Pallet. He saw many trainers come by, as he challenged as many as he could.  
  
* * *  
  
"Onix, use Bind!" Matt commanded.  
  
Onix swatted down the Pidgeotto which was trying to escape, and wrapped its tail around it, and began to squeeze. The bird Pokémon then began to squawk in pain.  
  
"Pidgeotto!" the Pokémon's trainer yelled out loud. "Okay, okay, I give in! You win, you win!"  
  
"Onix, let it go," Matt commanded. His Onix followed the command as the trainer drew his Pokémon back inside of its Pokéball.  
  
"Wow, how long have you been training?" the boy asked. He had bright blue eyes, and long, blonde hair. He was wearing a simple white T-shirt, and khaki jean-shorts.  
  
"Me? About two, three months, I guess."  
  
"Oh, are you one of those trainers who had to follow the old age rule?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, but it's a good thing that they changed it." Matt said, calling his Onix back.  
  
"Me, too, or else I would have had to wait, like you. Oh well!" The trainer smiled. He then looked at its watch. "I have to get home now, I had fun battling!"  
  
Matt smiled. "Take care, okay?"  
  
"You bet! Phew, I hope I don't have to face YOU in the Pokémon League!" The kid turned around and ran towards his house.  
  
Matt smiled, he found that last comment rather flattering. "Keep training, okay?"  
  
"Okay!" The trainer replied.  
  
Matt looked at his watch. "Wow, I've been training all afternoon. My Pokémon did very well today; but then again, facing the same Pokémon over and over, I'd have to keep beating them, wouldn't I?" Matt jumped the fence to his backyard and went back inside his house for the remainder of the day.  
  
* * *  
  
"I passed!" yelled an exhilerated Lizzie over the phone.  
  
"Sweet!" Matt replied. "So, when will you be getting here?"  
  
"Sometime this afternoon; my mom's driving me. Oh, Matt, I can't believe I passed! I thought I did horribly on the written part, but I actually aced it. Oh, but the battle exam was REALLY hard, I was forced to battle with Pokémon I didn't even have and, oh, it's just so exiting!"  
  
"That's great. That's really great, and I mean it." Matt replied. "And hey, some trainers have appeared here, and I managed to battle some of them."  
  
"Oh? How did you do?"  
  
"Flawless. I didn't lose even once. You know, I don't even know if this is worth it, because I kept seeing a Pidgey here, a Caterpie there, a Weedle here. I mean, didn't any of these trainers get any good starting Pokémon from Professor Oak?"  
  
"No, you've just been training a lot. Don't put yourself down. You're really good."  
  
"Well, thanks for the support," Matt replied, smiling. "Hopefully I can finish high in the Pokémon League. Well, I hope we both do, actually."  
  
"Fighting the Elite Four would be SO cool! Anyways, I better go; mom wants me to help with the dishes before I come over. Have you told your parents yet?"  
  
"Nope, I'll do so now. This is great! See you soon, okay?"  
  
"Okay! Bye!" Lizzie hung up.  
  
Matt smiled as he hung up. "She's finally coming over! I better go tell my mom..."  
  
* * *  
  
The final three weeks had finally, but slowly, passed, with both Matt and Lizzie pushing their Pokémon over their limits with extensive training. After a long time waiting, they were now both ready to enter the Pokémon League without any sense of doubt in their minds to what place they're going to finish. Their only goal was to do their best and when they could, to try and have some fun.  
  
"Bye, mom! You'll watch me fight, won't you?"  
  
"Of course, dear! I'll make sure I'm on time for your first match!"  
  
"Okay! I'll look for you in the crowd!"  
  
"Don't look too hard, now, dear. Have a good trip! See you later, Lizzie!"  
  
"Goodbye!" Lizzie called out, as both she and Matt exited the front door, beginning to walk the long, dirt path to Viridian City.  
  
"Phew! Well, how are you feeling?" Matt asked.  
  
"Pumped; all of that training did us good," Lizzie replied.  
  
It was a bright afternoon in Pallet Town, as it always seemed to be for that time of year. Matt was pleased; it was almost just like the very first day he left home on his Pokémon journey. After a long walk on an old, recognizable Route 1, Matt and Lizzie managed to reach the Pokémon Center in Viridian City by nightfall. After dropping off their Pokémon, they were forced to quickly dash towards the registration office so they could actually battle in the Pokémon league, although the deadline was days later. They both completed their registration forms with relative ease, and through a random generator, figured out who they would be facing, and in which field the battle would be taking place.  
  
Matt looked at his registration card. "Grass field. I'm going against a Cerulean trainer named Gill. I fight on the first day, Friday at 2:30."  
  
"I fight before you, but in the same field. My fight's at 12:30."  
  
"Speaking of which, Jordan said he would try and come. I got a message from him as soon as I came home from Cinnibar, but other than that, I don't know where he is at all." Matt said.  
  
"Hey, yeah! I wonder where he is? Could he make it?"  
  
"If he did, he did. If he didn't, well, he didn't." Matt shrugged. "But he did say he had some other business to attend to here, didn't he?"  
  
"Yeah, at least our parents will be there."  
  
"Yep. It's getting late, why don't we go and rest at the Pokémon Center?" Matt suggested.  
  
Lizzie nodded, and walked back with Matt at the Pokémon Center. "Yeah. Let's get all the rest we can; Friday's going to require a whole lot of proper rest."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	29. Tests of Fear and Courage

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 29: Tests of Fear and Courage  
  
  
  
Matt woke up in the Pokémon Center at a later time in the morning; for it was already Friday, and his match was later in the afternoon. When he looked outside the window, he saw many people walking around in the streets, chattering amongst themselves. He went to look at Lizzie's bed, but could see nothing. He stood up and looked carefully to make sure that she wasn't there, then he lay back down. He checked the time.  
  
"11:30?!" He shot up. "Lizzie's match is in an hour!" He quickly jumped out of bed, changed into a new set of clothing, brushed his teeth and ran downstairs in the lobby of the Pokémon Center. As expected, the place was packed wall to wall with Pokémon trainers, as Matt pushed through them to get to the front desk.  
  
"Good morning; you certainly slept well," Nurse Joy greeted with a smile.  
  
"Yeah, hi. When did Lizzie leave?" Matt asked.  
  
"She left to see the opening ceremonies. She didn't want to wake you up, so she left on her own!"  
  
"She could have woken me up." He looked at his watch, then back at Nurse Joy. "Are my Pokémon ready? I have to find her."  
  
"Of course, they're right here and ready for battle. And good luck to you."  
  
"Thanks," he replied, placing the minimized Pokéballs and Greatballs on his belt, then picking up Squirtle. "I'll be on my way now!" He dashed out of the Pokémon Center, and while fighting through the crowd, started darting towards the stadium.  
  
"Um...Matt?" somebody called from behind. Matt recognized the voice, and quickly turned around.  
  
"Lizzie!"  
  
"Yeah, I was kinda hoping you'd be awake by the time the opening ceremonies started."  
  
"I didn't say that you couldn't wake me up."  
  
"Well, you must have been tired, and you probably would have been grumpy through the whole thing. Besides, it could have ruined your concentration through this afternoon's match."  
  
"Since when have I lost my concentration during a Pokémon match? Your match starts in an hour, right?. And who did you say you were fighting again?"  
  
"I don't think I told you; his name is Andy."  
  
"Andy? From Pallet?"  
  
"You know him?"  
  
"Well, kind of...I saw him when we were chased off by Team Rocket during the tournament way back in Dellesse."  
  
"I see...well, Team Rocket made a big mess in the stadium."  
  
"They did?" Matt asked.  
  
"Yeah, they began taking some Pokémon by force; luckily they didn't reach mine, but eventually a Moltres appeared and managed to get rid of them."  
  
"A Moltes?! Who did it belong to?"  
  
"Well, it's Moltres' flame that lights the stadium."  
  
"Damn! I should have been there." He shook his head. "Nobody got hurt or anything, did they?"  
  
Lizzie giggled and also shook her head. "No, Team Rocket is just starting to become a little bit clumsy ever since they've started to get shut down."  
  
"Heh, that probably explains a lot. So, have you figured which three Pokémon you're going to use?"  
  
"I'll go with Val, Articuno and Sandshrew," Lizzie replied. "How about you?"  
  
"I've been thinking of using Onix, Charmeleon and Zubat. I'd like to get Zenigame in, but I can't just make a quick swap while battling."  
  
"Re-look your strategy; I'm sure you'll do fine," Lizzie smiled.  
  
"Will you be off then?" Matt asked.  
  
"Yeah, I want to look at the Pokémon Mart. They might have some good items."  
  
"All right. I'll just look around the stadium to find out where I'm battling."  
  
"Okay, see you!"  
  
"Good luck!" Matt and Lizzie walked off in opposite directions.  
  
Matt saw many food stands all around him. Many trainers and fans alike were walking from in and out of the buildings and food stands. "I wonder if most of these folks are just fans, or if any of them are Pokémon trainers."  
  
He continued walking along, as overheard the conversation of three three kids bragging about their Pokémon and talk about their special abilities. Matt chortled. "If I was that young again, I'd probably brag about my Squirtle's techniques, too, so it would be hypocritical for me to criticize."  
  
"Squirtle..." Squirtle replied.  
  
"All right, Zeni. Let's look inside the Mart for some items." Matt looked around the large crowd, hoping to find a Pokémon Mart. Fortunately, at that time of year, many stores were selling Pokémon goods. He managed to push by a crowd, and entered a store. He suddenly felt a blast of heat, while ceiling fans were running at their maximum speed. Matt figured the air conditioning was broken. As he took a good look around the store, he noticed nothing but shelves, completely packed full with Pokémon goods. "Wow, this place is huge!"  
  
He looked around in every department. In medicine, capture, and breed. Strangely enough, none of them seemed to have any of the items he was looking for.   
  
"I think we've entered a souvenir stand by accident," Matt picked up a nearby poster, unraveled it and looked at it. "Look at this. Posters, clocks, back packs, note books, pens...shampoo. Ugh. I think I'm in the wrong place."  
  
"Hey, kid, the mart's upstairs, all right? This is the souvenir section!" one of the store clerks yelled. He took a good look at the clerk. He wasn't very tall. He was fully dressed in white, with short, greasy black hair and angry brown eyes.  
  
Matt looked at a sign nearby by a flight of stairs; indeed it did say that the Pokémon training accessories were on that particular floor. "Oh, I see...thank you," Matt bitterly answered. He walked up the stairs and muttered: "Sheesh, you don't have to be so rude about it." Upon reaching the top, he saw what he was expecting to see.  
  
"At last." Matt gently placed Squirtle on the floor. "You can roam around a bit, but don't cause any trouble all right?" Matt walked over to the medicine section and looked at some potions. He then gave it a wry look. "What kind of potion is this? It's a different colour."  
  
"Oh that?" the cashier replied. She smiled, as Matt took a good look at her. She was wearing the same uniform as the man downstairs, however she had long, shining red hair, and blazing green eyes. "That's a Hyper Potion. If you've been around Super Potions, they're even better than those."  
  
"What?!" Matt quickly placed it back on the shelf. "I've heard about the toxins they've placed in that. I'm NOT putting that on my Pokémon!"  
  
"Huh? Oh, right, those. They've been banned, but now they've found a better way of mixing the potion together. This time, they've managed to use safer items, and it's at a much lower price. We're trying to get rid of the old Potions as much as we can, since the Super Potions and these Hyper Potions are at more of a demand, particularly at this time of year."  
  
Matt nodded. "Okay, I'll take a couple of these. And do you have any Pokéballs anywhere? Well, not the old Pokéballs, but the other kind. The Greatballs."  
  
The cashier nodded and pointed. "All three Pokéballs types are half price."  
  
"Three types? I thought there were only two...that is, unless you're selling the rare Masterball here..."  
  
The cashier smiled. "No, they're still working on the prototype for those. But the Ultraball just came in stock. Go take a look."  
  
"Oh, that's right!" Matt replied, suddenly remembering his battle with Arrmun. He had pulled out an Ultraball which contained Magmar inside of it. Matt approached the Pokéball shelves and picked one up and looked at the price. "Twenty-five? That's out of my price range, even with the bargain you're holding here. I can only afford maybe three of these." He took three Ultraballs and picked up five Greatballs. He placed them on the counter along with his Super Potions. "When do you think the Masterball will be completed?"  
  
"Oh, I really don't know. If they ever come around to completing it anytime soon, they'll probably be sold only in the bigger cities, since it's supposed to capture every single Pokémon possible without any chance of flaw." The cashier punched in the items Matt was purchasing on the numbers on the cash register. "That all comes to 94.17."  
  
Matt handed the cashier a one hundred dollar bill. "I think I might have seventeen somewhere. Ah, here you go." Matt handed the coins over and received his change, as his items were being placed in a plastic bag. "Capturing Pokémon without flaw? But that takes away the experience of Pokémon training. If you're just going out capturing Pokémon without training them, then none of them will be able to pick up any battle experience. Using Pokéballs with a higher capture rate is okay, but no flaw? That's no fun."  
  
The cashier nodded, then forced a smirk. "Those are very valid points."  
  
Matt picked up his Squirtle. "Thanks, will you be watching any of the battling?"  
  
The casher shook her head. "I'm afraid I'm only able to see the matches in the evening."  
  
Matt nodded. "Well, I fight in a few hours."  
  
"Then, good luck to you!"  
  
Matt smiled. "Thanks!" Upon leaving the Pokémon Mart, he once again was forced to push through a crowd of people. He was stopped many times by tourists who asked if they could have a picture of he and his Squirtle. He hesitantly agreed. Afterwards, he sat down on a nearby bench and checked his watch. "I have plenty of time, but it still would be good to check out the Grass Field and hang around that area for a bit. Lizzie's battle is about to start in half an hour anyway, and I would like to get a good seet."  
  
* * *  
  
The crowd began to stand up and cheer loudly as the music from the large speakers around them began to quickly dim down before there was total silence. Matt looked around at the lively crowd as his heart began to beat rapidly. He then looked down at the battlefield, which was very typical like a stadium, he thought. A large, sold-out surrounding crowd many stories high facing the competitors in the middle; their entrances on opposite sides of the long field, which was possibly the largest battlefield Matt has witnessed so far. "I can't believe Lizzie's up! Sheesh, I'm the one getting nervous, and I'm not even battling!"  
  
"All right!" the announcer from the stadium yells in a loud voice. "Welcome to this year's Pokémon League Battle Arena in the Grass Field!" The crowd roared and whistled. "We're happy to announce the very first battle! We have right now, Lizzie Penta from Cerulean City versus Andy Stine from Pallet Town! Let's get the match underway!"  
  
Lizzie and Andy both walked out from opposite sides from the arena onto the battle field as the crowd began to roar louder and louder.  
  
Matt and Squirtle were even on their feet applauding and cheering. "Come on, Lizzie! Don't get nervous! You can do it!"  
  
"Squirtle!"  
  
Matt shifted his attention toward the large scoresheet as both Andy's and Lizzie's faces appeared along with three brightly lit images of Pokéballs appeared. He then turned his attention towards the battlefield as Lizzie grabed a Pokéball, along with Andy as they both toss them it into the battlefield. Both Pokéballs of them sprang open upon contact as the crowd began to roar even louder. Lizzie's Vulpix appeared, while Andy drew forth a Nidorino.  
  
Matt grasped the arm rests on his seat. He saw both Pokémon run at all ends of the battlefield, firing their specialty attacks towards one another. Matt began to get restless; he would draw his head closer to the battle, then back off and relax. He clenched his fists. Suddenly, the Nidorino fell in battle, and was not moving. Matt jumped to his feet cheering, as other members of the crowd did so as well. "Way to go, Lizzie!" Matt yelled. "Just two more!"  
  
As the large scoresheet dimmed a lit Pokéball under Andy's image, he drew back his Nidorino and sent forth a Poliwhirl. Matt felt a shiver down his spine as his heart began to beat. "Vulpix is a fire Pokémon,; she might lose this one instantly."  
  
Matt witnessed the Poliwhirl firing several water attacks, but Vulpix did its best to dodge most of the attacks, taking minimal damage. "Come on...come on." Matt suddenly jumped when Vulpix unleashed a powerful fire attack, similar to the one Magmar used on Onix. The attack completely consuming the Poliwhirl in the flame, then collapsed on the field, not moving. Matt jumped up and joined the cheering crowd again. "YEAH! ALL RIGHT! You're almost there, Lizzie! Don't give up!"  
  
Andy began to get frustrated, as he kicked the air while calling back the Poliwhirl. Another Pokéball under his face dimmed on the scoresheet, as he threw forth his last Pokéball, as a Geodude appeared. The crowd let out a loud gasp before sighing.  
  
Matt applauded, still standing out of his seat. "Keep going, Lizzie!"  
  
Both of the Pokémon continued running back in forth, using plainly physical attacks at one another; but in the end, Geodude came out the victor, as Vulpic collapsed. The crowd began to cheer as Lizzie called the Pokémon back.  
  
"It's okay, Lizzie!" Matt yelled.  
  
Lizzie pulled out a Greatball, enlarged it, and threw it. Matt smirked; he knew which Pokémon it was. As Articuno appeared, the audience began to cheer even louder along with many gasps in awe.  
  
Andy was furious. He began running towards the referee standing in the middle of the battlefield, and began complaining, while pointing to the Legendary Bird. Due to the noise level of the crowd, and how far up he was in the stands, he couldn't hear anything. But due to his rapid body language, and wide lip-sync, Matt could tell that it was about the Pokémon Lizzie sent forth. In the end, Andy returned to his side of the battlefield, shaking his head in disgust and disappointment; he was forced to use his Geodude to fight.  
  
Matt's heart began beating faster, but he knew that this was the end. After charging a beam in its beak Articuno jolted its head forward towards its target and released its powerful Ice Beam. Geodude was struck point blank by the attack, and was completely frozen in a large block of ice.  
  
The crowd began to roar loudly, as Lizzie began to jump in her victory. Matt looked at the scoresheet as the final Pokéball under Andy's name was dimmed. Eventually, all of the Pokéball images vanished and noticed that virtual fireworks began to go off as it displayed: 'The winner: Lizzie!'  
  
Matt jumped, waving his fists and arms in excitement, cheering and whistling along with the excited crowd around him. Lizzie had already won, but he had been acting as if he had won. The crowd had just witnessed possibly one of the most exciting battles in the tournament. As both competitors left the battlefield, Matt grabbed Squirtle, and tried to make his way out of the arena to see Lizzie.  
  
Around the exit, he looked around before spotting her and quickly ran towards her. "Lizzie! You did great!"  
  
"Thank you!" She quickly hugged Matt. "I couldn't see you, where were you sitting?"  
  
"Right in the center, I had to see all of the action. Oh, by the way, what was Andy upset about when you pulled out the Artiuno?"  
  
"He probably sensed some sort of cheating, since Articuno is a very rare Pokémon. But the thing is--"  
  
"The one you have isn't the legendary one..."  
  
"Exactly. But still, he probably thought that I had stolen it or whatever. It didn't matter. There was no proof, and I wasn't pulled from the match. Not to mention nobody approached me to make sure I was cheating or anything."  
  
"But still, way to go! I still have my battle to do in another hour and a half."  
  
Lizzie nodded. "I'll see you battle. But now I have to find Andy. I need to congratulate him, too. He fought really hard."  
  
"All right. See you later."  
  
* * *  
  
Matt's battle was about to start. He was sitting on a bench, close to the entrance to the battlefield. He looked at it; it seemed much larger than it did in the stands. His heart began beating very hard. "Okay, try to concentrate. If you lose, it's over, remember that...no no, I can't think like that. I have to stay strong. I can't let negative thoughts destroy my concentration." He took a deep breath. "Okay, here we go. Round One."  
  
"All right, folks!" the announcer yelled. "It's time for our third battle of the day! We have Pallet Town's own Matt Tenks versus Cerulean City's Gill Rhone! Let's get the battle underway!"  
  
Matt took in a deep breath. He walked out onto the battlefield. He then looked around at the thousands of fans who were cheering. After arriving at his end of the battlefield, he tried to find Lizzie by glancing all around him. He even tried finding his family. He couldn't find his parents or his sister.  
  
Matt then took in another deep breath. "I'll see them after the battle. Okay, let's see what you have." Matt shut his eyes and picked a Pokéball at random. "Okay...go!" He then enlarged it and threw it far in front of him. Charmeleon appeared. The crowd roared and whistled in response. "The battle hasn't even started yet, and they've acted like something incredible just happened."  
  
Matt took a good look at his opponent at the other end of the field. Dressed mostly in blue, he was wearing thick sunglasses as his dark, brown hair was glimmering in the hot sun above. Matt watched as he threw his Pokéball onto the field as a small, purple butterfly-like Pokémon with large bug-eyes and two small antennae appeared. The crowd roared.  
  
Matt's heart began to beat, and his speech stammered. "Ch...charmeleon! Use...Flame--ugh...what was the name of the attack. Flame Thrower!" He smacked his head. "Concentrate you moron, it's just a pesky little Butterfree."  
  
Charmeleon released a stream of scorching flames, as Butterfree tried to avoid the attack. Its wing was grazed, and slightly engulfed. However, it flapped around, receiving minimal damage in general to the attack.  
  
The trainer at the other end ordered an attack, as Matt watched, trying to lip-read. "I can't hear! The audience is too loud!" He then saw the Butterfree flutter its wings at a rapid pace while releasing some strange, glimmering powder. "It's either Sleep Powder or Stun Spore. Charmeleon! Get out of the way!"  
  
Charmeleon swiftly dashed towards the sidelines, and managed to evade the attack, as it was ready to strike, looking at its trainer from the corner of its eye, waiting for its next command. Matt clenched a fist. "Okay! Try a Slash attack!"  
  
Charmeleon moved forward and launched itself off the ground, raising its right claw in the air. It took a hard swing, but missed. It tried to rebound by swinging its tail to attack, but Butterfree managed to dodge it.  
  
Matt saw the trainer order another attack, as he became frustrated. "Damn it, what the hell is he saying?!"  
  
Matt watched as Butterfree unleashed a blinding light, which knocked Charmeleon off of its feet. Matt was confused, he didn't know which attack it was. As Charmeleon brought itself to its feet, it stumbled when attempting to stand up straight.  
  
"Damn it!" Matt exclaimed, as Butterfree dashed forward, knocking Charmeleon off of its feet with a Tackle attack. Charmeleon was not moving; the referee rose a flag as Butterfree had won the first round.  
  
The crowd began to roar as a Pokéball image dimmed underneath Matt's face on the scoreboard. Matt pulled out a Pokéball and absorbed Charmeleon back inside. Matt took a deep breath and thought about who to use next.  
  
"You're too nervous; it's starting to really embarrass me..." a voice said behind Matt. He turned around.  
  
"Arrmun?!" Matt exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!"  
  
Arrmun stood still, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed at the entrance to the battlefield. "I came here hoping to find a real match; I've been watching you so far. You're a nervous wreck."  
  
"Hey, I'm trying my best here!"  
  
"I'd hate to go back thinking that this was the kid who helped me make my big decision to leave Team Rocket. I'd never think that I'd see you turn into this kind of mess when the pressure was on."  
  
Matt became angered. "Of all the times to be insulted."  
  
"Hey!" the referee called from the center of the arena. "Come on! Don't hold up the match!"  
  
Matt pulled out another Pokéball, facing Gill. "You want to see a nervous mess, you jerk? Well, let's see just how much stronger my Pikachu has become!" Matt threw a Pokéball, as Pikachu sprang out.  
  
"Okay! Pikachu! Thunderwave attack!" Matt commanded.  
  
Pikachu, upon finding its opponent flying around, released a series of flashing rays, which absorbed the Butterfree and stalled it. Butterfree fell flat to the ground, unable to move, however was still conscious.  
  
Gill began yelling at the Butterfree, and Matt smirked. "Thunderbolt attack!"  
  
Pikachu charged up its cheeks and cringed before tossing its paws up into the air while releasing several volts of strong electricity. The Butterfree was struck head on, without the opportunity to avoid it. It was down; not moving.   
  
The crowd began to roar as Matt smiled. "Well, Arrmun? Who's a nervous wreck now?" He suddenly stopped to think. His heart stopped beating so quickly; Matt was able to think clearly. He smiled again. "Okay, show me what else you have."  
  
Gill pulled out another Pokéball and threw it into the arena. A Weepinbell appeared.  
  
"Electricity's no good. We'll have to rely on our speed. Pikachu! Use Agility!"  
  
Pikachu, with its incredible speed, dashed in circles around the Weepinbell, as it tried several attacks. Launching its proven Razor Leaf and Vine Whip attacks proved ineffective as Pikachu's speed was a major factor in the match.  
  
"Move in for a Quick Attack!" Matt commanded.  
  
Pikachu swung in at a rapid pace and struck the Weepinbell directly from behind, causing some damage. As it regained its footing, PIkachu struck it again, knocking it off of its feet as it tumbled roughly onto the battlefield below. It was not moving.  
  
The crowd roared again as Matt jumped. "That's it! Just one more to go!"  
  
Gill called back Weepinbell and brushed his hands through his hair. He then pulled out his final Pokéball and threw it into the arena. Matt watched in awe as an Onix appeared.  
  
"That Onix is...huge!" He quickly pulled out a Pokéball. "I'm not putting my Pikachu through that. Return!" Matt kneeled down towards Squirtle. "Okay, it's two to two; I'll need you to stay light off your feet. All right?"  
  
Squirtle nodded.  
  
"Good, because we're gonna need one or two Hydro Pump attacks to take this brute down. But be careful, it's very fast, all right?"  
  
Squirtle nodded again.  
  
"Okay, go!"  
  
Squirtle joined Onix in the battlefield as the crowd cheered.  
  
"Hydro Pump!"  
  
Squirtle jumped into its shell and whirled it around at a rapid pace, releasing several long, mighty streams of water. Onix took the brunt of the attack receiving heavy damage, howling in pain. Quickly after Onix was attacked, it quickly wrapped its tail around Squirtle and began to squeeze it.  
  
"Damn it...!" Matt muttered. "It was just a trap...Zeni! Can you use a Water Gun attack?!"  
  
Squirtle remained trapped inside of its shell, trying to move outwards.  
  
"Zeni! Hurry!"  
  
The crowd began to cheer, as it may have looked like Squirtle was about to be crushed inside of its shell.  
  
"Okay then, try another Hydro Pump!"  
  
The shell was far too tightly wrapped in order to spin around; however, a large stream of water was released into Onix's face. Onix fell back, shouting in pain, as its grip around Squirtle's shell was loosened, as it tumbled towards the battlefield. It then exited from its shell and moved into a battle ready position, though it was not necessary. Onix collapsed onto the battlefield, and although it was mostly made of grass, it caused a light, thunderous tremor. The crowd was on its feet, and Matt dropped to his knees.  
  
"I...I did it."  
  
Gill called Onix back inside of its Pokéball and stormed out of the arena. Matt remained on his knees, as his Squirtle approached him.  
  
"Hey...that wasn't so bad! Now that I have some battle experience, I think I'm ready for the next match!" Matt pulled himself to his feet, as some of the audience members began to leave. "I'd like to see the look on Arrmun's face."  
  
Arrmun as a matter of fact was in the audience, joining them in applause. Matt could even see him. He continued to look at him. "What is he doing here...?"  
  
Arrmun turned from where he was standing said to himself: "And now, my friend, we are even." He walked off, and left Matt continuing to wonder. He eventually decided to pick up his Squirtle as he left the arena.  
  
"Matt!" Lizzie ran up and hugged him. "You were fantastic! You were all worried at first, but then, bang! Three unanswered victories! That was really--hey, what's wrong?"  
  
"I saw Arrmun."  
  
"You did?! He was here?! What did he say to you?!"  
  
"I guess it was some sort of pep talk, because it helped me for the rest of the match." He shrugged. "Oh, and were you able to find Jordan?"  
  
Lizzie shook her head. "I honestly looked all around the stadium to find him, but I didn't see him at all. Maybe he's still doing research at Cinnibar Island. Why don't we phone him or something?"  
  
"I suppose we could do that."  
  
"Hey, lighten up, you just won, remember?"  
  
"Yeah. Did you get to find Andy?"  
  
"No, he left right after our match. I even went in the Pokémon Center, but Joy just said that she healed his Pokémon and just left."  
  
"Why would he do that? At the end of the tournament, all participants get a trophy just for signing up. Perhaps he was bitter."  
  
"Some people probably just don't like to lose." Lizzie smiled. "Well, we both fought well today. How about we get some supper?"  
  
"Lizzie, it's not even four yet! Wouldn't that be kind of early?"  
  
"Are you kidding? Late lunch, early supper, what's the difference? And we get to eat free anyway! Let's find a REALLY fancy restaurant to eat in!"  
  
"Okay then," Matt replied, laughing. "After all, we do both deserve to be fed like champions. At least for now."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	30. Shameful Deceit

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 30: Shameful Deceit  
  
  
  
"Another drink, please!" Matt handed his empty glass to the waiter who politely took it and walked off.  
  
Lizzie nearly choked on her drink upon hearing Matt's request. "Matt! That's your fifth one, and our meal hasn't even arrived yet!"  
  
"So I'll be running to the bathroom in two hours, what's your point?" Matt asked.  
  
"Nothing, it's just that you wouldn't want to fill up on a drink before your food even came here."  
  
"How can you fill up on a drink?"  
  
"It's always possible. I've had what you ordered before, and they literally fill your plate. Just relax already."  
  
Matt looked around the restaurant. It indeed was fancy, as Lizzie picked it out. The walls were covered in delicate wallpaper, along with many fancy oil paintings. The room was filled with both chatter and classical music. The carpets were a bright red. "Nobody in here I recognize."  
  
"There are at least two hunded Pokémon trainers in this area alone. I don't think we could find anybody here if we tried."  
  
"Still, I'd like to see where Arrmun went. He did help me win that match after all."  
  
The waiter appeared with yet another refill of Matt's drink, along with his, Lizzie's and Squirtle's meal. They both began to eat.  
  
"Needs salt," Matt commented, grabbing the salt shaker and began to sprinkle it over his food.  
  
"Salt?! When I had that, it was almost too salty!" Lizzie put a piece of her food in her mouth.  
  
"Well, the one you had must have been deep-fried..." Matt replied while chewing.  
  
"Can you swallow first? That's gross!"  
  
Matt laughed. "Sorry...I didn't eat anything at all today."  
  
They both continued to eat in silence. They could barely hear the music that was being played in the restaurant with the cause of the other customers who were talking amongst themselves. Matt leaned his head towards the television screen that was hooked up from the ceiling. He saw the statistics of those who had won that day.  
  
"Excuse me..." one of the waiters spoke with a microphone, as the music was turned off and everybody stopped talking and looked towards him. "Thank you. It has come to my knowledge that we happen to be serving some of the people who had won this afternoon. Could Jen, Lewis, Paulene, Lizzie, Krystal and Matt please stand up?"  
  
Matt and Lizzie stood up along with the other people in the restaurant.  
  
"May we please give them a hand?" There was a loud applause for at least half a minute as both Matt and Lizzie blushed. "Thank you, and please enjoy your meal. There will be a draw for some free coupons in the front; those who have won today's matches and would like to participate, please meet near the east exit in five minutes. Thank you."  
  
"Wow! Coupons! You want to go to it?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"No, then my food will get cold."  
  
"Fine. I'll go, then."  
  
"You'll have to wait five minutes."  
  
"I know that."  
  
"Good. Eat."  
  
Lizzie groaned. "Fine..." she muttered, and continued eating her meal.  
  
"Squirtle..." Squirtle smiled upon finishing what was on his place.  
  
After Lizzie had polished everything that was on her plate, she stood up along with the other Pokémon trainers. "You're the only one not going. Are you absolutely sure?"  
  
Matt, finishing the last bite of his dinner, wiped his face with a napkin before facing Lizzie. "The chances of me coming here again before my coupon expires are slim."  
  
"You could give it to me!"  
  
"No thanks. You go ahead, good luck."  
  
"Fine. Hold my purse. It has all of my Pokémon in there; don't lose it, all right?!"  
  
"Fine yourself," Matt replied. "But if you don't return in ten minutes, I'm eating your dessert."  
  
"Oh, knock it off..." Lizzie walked off with the others.  
  
Matt began eating a slice of cheese cake, as he looked at his watch. "It's been a few minutes. It shouldn't have taken that long just for a few coupons." He shrugged and continued eating.  
  
Afterwards he pushed the empty plate back and took in a deep breath. "Phew! I'm full now." He then suddenly jumped to his feet. "And I really need to go." He trusted Squirtle to guard Lizzie's purse, for he didn't want to to take it with him into the men's room. Afterwards, he walked quickly and entered it.  
  
A few minutes later, Matt walked out, and didn't see Lizzie on her seat. "Okay, something weird's going on." He beckoned for Squirtle to come to him. He placed Lizzie purse in his backpack, rested Squirtle in his arms and walked down to where they were holding the draw.  
  
Matt looked around. "This has to be the spot. Or else they would be outside.. He walked down the hall a bit more, and saw two people dressed in all black enter one room. Matt dashed to the door and tried to open it. "It's locked."  
  
Matt walked down the hall and saw several clothing sets hanging on a rack. He looked at them. "Team Rocket uniforms?! Don't tell me this coupon thing was all a scam. That means...geez! Let's see, which one of these would fit me...?"  
  
Matt stuffed his clothes in his bag and put on a Team Rocket uniform which barely fit; it was far too loose, but it was the tighest one Matt could find. "Sorry, Zeni, you're going to have to go inside the Pokéball. You're not going to fit inside the backpack..."  
  
Squirtle jumped out of Matt's hands and backed towards a wall.  
  
"Don't be stubborn. All of my other Pokémon are resting in their Pokéballs, and I don't think it would hurt to put you inside it just this once. Come on, you've been wandering freely for the last several months, and you remember my agreement. You go back when you have to." Matt pulled out a Pokéball.  
  
"Squirtle, squirtle! Squirtle!"  
  
"Look, this is important. Something's fishy here. I promise I'll let you out after, all right? You're going to have to start staying in here; it's becoming very inconvenient for both of us if you stay out of your Pokéball all the time. It's dangerous. Now come on."  
  
Squirtle stood still.  
  
"Good. I'll make it up to you, I'm sorry." Matt drew Squirtle inside the Pokéball and placed it in his backpack. "What have I done...? No, now's not the time to feel guilty. This is far more important than some ridiculous dispute."  
  
Matt stood up and looked at his disguise. "Ugh, this makes me look anti-everything...and I can't believe how obvious they're making this." Matt put on a pair of sunglasses as he walked down the hall and knocked on the door.  
  
A large, sinister man opened it and gave Matt an angry look. I hope I haven't been busted out already, Matt thought.  
  
"Where have you been?! We've been waiting for nearly ten minutes here!"  
  
Matt's heart skipped a beat, and tried to play along by deepening his voice's pitch. "Uh...sorry. It was hard to get here; security gave me a hassle."  
  
"Blast those fools. And where's Jansen? How come he's not with you?!"  
  
"Um...I haven't heard from him at all today, sir."  
  
"Well, that might make things run a lot slower. Come in anyway, we really need help sorting these Pokéballs."  
  
Matt slowly walked in with his backpack slung over his one shoulder. He had forgotten he had brought it with him. "Hey, you!" somebody shouted, as Matt jumped. "Are those the supplies we need?"  
  
"Um, no, sir. They're just my clothes from earlier. I had to change as quickly as possible."  
  
"Very well. You can pick up your bag later. Just leave it there," he pointed to a place in the corner.  
  
"No thanks, I'd rather keep it with me."  
  
"Very well. Come, watch these guys." Matt was lead into a bright room, where the member left, closing the door behind him.  
  
Matt looked around. It was covered wall to wall seeing some of the Pokémon trainers crying, along with Lizzie's face buried in her hands sitting all alone in the corner. He sighed. "So it was all a scam."  
  
Everybody looked at Matt as he took off his sunglasses. "Team Rocket's still going strong."  
  
"Matt!" Lizzie cried out. "How did you get in?!"  
  
"These people must be extremely stupid. They think I'm a guard or something..."  
  
Lizzie ran towards Matt. "It was awful; they took all of their Pokémon! We need to get them back! And, where's my purse?!"  
  
"It's in my bag." Matt pulled the purse from his backpack and handed it over to Lizzie. He looked at all the other trainers who watched him attentively. "Don't worry, we'll get you all out of here..."  
  
One girl wiped away her tears. "Oh, don't be ridiculous, Team Rocket can't be stopped..."  
  
The kid sitting next to her nodded. "Seriously, man. I've dealt with Team Rocket before, and quite honestly, this is the tamest they've ever gotten. I've heard of them killing people. I'm just happy to be alive."  
  
The other remaining trainers nodded in agreement.  
  
"Will you knock it off?! They stole something precious. Something that belonged to you! They shouldn't have the right to take that privilege of Pokémon training away from you! We are going to get your Pokémon back, and turn away these creeps!" Lizzie lectured.  
  
A member stormed into the room. "Hey! Keep them quiet, will ya?!"  
  
Matt smirked. "I think not..."  
  
"Hey...you're that other trainer! Men, come here, quickly!"  
  
As two members scrambled to dash in the room, Matt pulled out a Pokéball. "I've had enough of this crap; Charmeleon, slow them down!"  
  
Charmeleon sprang out, ready to battle. "Char..."  
  
"Quickly, give me a Pokéball!" one of the members turned back, shouting.  
  
"Oh? I think not. Charmeleon, use your Flamethrower," Matt calmly commanded.  
  
Charmeleon took in a breath, and unleashed a stream of scorching flames, causing Team Rocket to run out of the room in terror, screaming.  
  
"Are you kidding me?!" Matt shouted. "What a bunch of pansies; they won't even stay back to fight?" Matt called Charmeleon back inside its Pokéball. "All right, everybody out; I need to get out of this horrible outfit."  
  
Later after Matt changed back into his regular clothes, and the other remaining trainers received their Pokémon, Matt pulled out a small mechanical device, and placed it over one of the several machines in the room.  
  
"Hey, Matt, what's that?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"A bomb...it'll completely destroy this room."  
  
"Where did you get a bomb?!"  
  
"I found it in the corner of the other room." Matt entered a couple of commands on it. "This seems simple enough to activate."  
  
"You even know how to activate bombs? For crying out loud," Lizzie muttered. She then turned around. "All right everybody, we need to get out." She pushed everybody out of the room and back into the hall of the restaurant. She walked back in and turned around. "Okay, let's go."  
  
Matt put back on his backpack exited the room with Lizzie. After getting to a safe distance, he started to quietly count. "Three...two...one..." There was then a slight rumble in the entire building as smoke began to appear from the bottom of the closed door.  
  
Lizzie gave a look at Matt. "Since when did you learn how to use a bomb?"  
  
"Ever since we've been in that prison."  
  
"Do you realize that Team Rocket could now send even more of its troops out here? You could have just increased the danger around here for everyone!"  
  
Matt shook his head. "You see, I thought that at first, but then I figured that they would only think that because nobody would have the guts to stand up to them. And after hearing about Arrmun's operations, I decided to put this to the test. Add a little bit more fear to their souls."  
  
Lizzie shook her head. "How much longer are you going to keep doing this?"  
  
"It was payback." Matt grinned. "And I plan to pay them back in full eventually."  
  
Lizzie's face fell. "Come on, let's go back to the registration desk; we need to figure out who we're battling tomorrow."  
  
* * *  
  
"On the Ice Field, it will be Matt versus...Randy. Your battle will be at 11:30am; good luck."  
  
"11:30?! That's a bit early..." Matt commented.  
  
"Oh come on, that's not too bad. All you have to do is set an alarm, that's all," Lizzie replied.  
  
Matt snarled. "I guess."  
  
Lizzie then frowned. "Still no word from Jordan. I don't know where he could be; I hope he didn't forget."  
  
"A guy like him? That's unlikely. I'm sure that he'll be here. We just have to be patient."  
  
"I really do hope he comes tomorrow. Because if we both lose, and he's never around to watch, then." she sighed. "Forget it, let's just go to bed."  
  
Upon returning to their rooms at the Pokémon Center, both Matt and Lizzie crawled straight into bed, and drifted into a dream. They both slept well that night, for they have won both their first round matches, and have become more comfortable with the situation that surrounded them.  
  
The next morning, sky was clear; the air was cool and crisp, and not many people were wandering around the streets at this hour. However, at this time of year, not everybody is always asleep at this time.  
  
A girl with long brown hair, in a short black skirt with a matching blouse and long, black leather boots was smirking at the entrance to the Pokémon Center. "Thought you could hide from me after all these years, could you? Well, it's time for a little payback...."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	31. On the Road to Victory

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 31: On the Road to Victory  
  
  
  
The crowd cheered as Matt grunted, calling back his fainted Charmeleon back inside its Pokéball. It was the second time Charmeleon was knocked out when called upon, and this frustrated Matt a little bit. "Wow we're tied at two; this next one will be the decision." Matt quickly pulled out a Greatball. "Onix, you're my last hope." He tossed it into the arena, as the crowd began to roar even louder.  
  
The trainer yelled out something to his large Rhydon who was still energetic as when it was previously released to battle Charmeleon. Matt couldn't make out what the trainer ordering to his Pokémon, but managed to read his lips. "Onix, he's going to use Takedown! You have to move out of the way!"  
  
As the Rhydon dashed towards the Onix to attack at a rapid speed, Onix quickly leaped over it as quickly as he could, dodging the attack completely. As it landed, it created a thunderous crash onto the ice-like surface below, causing it to crack a little bit.  
  
Matt let out a heavy sigh. "I knew I shouldn't have let out Zeni earlier to fight; I really could have used him now. My Bulbasaur could have helped too, but I guess this is the only choice I have. This is going to be a very long battle."  
  
Rhydon tried time and time again to use the very same attack, eventually when it did hit, it proved to cause little damage to Onix. Matt took this time to think.  
  
"He's letting his Rhydon use all of its best attacks, and while Onix is gradually losing its energy, the Rhydon is losing its stamina. What attack could I use?" He looked at the battlefield he was on. "Onix is pretty heavy, and Rhydon is much lighter. The ice already managed to give a little bit, but I have to have Onix smash him through the ice completely."  
  
Rhydon used a large variety of physical attacks. Each causing little damage to Onix, but little by little, Matt noticed his Onix began to become weary from the long battle.  
  
"I think this is a good time. Onix! Grab it with your Bind attack!" Matt commanded.  
  
Onix quickly swung its tail up front and managed to get a tight hold on Rhydon's rock-hard body. The added pressure from Onix didn't seem to faze the Rhydon. Matt waited until Rhydon quit its resistance before he decided to put the second portion of his plan to work.  
  
"Quickly, Onix! Toss Rhydon as high into the air as possible!"  
  
Almost instantly, Onix wound up, and upon releasing its grip, threw Rhydon high into the air. It landed hard, falling right through the ice on the field and into the extremely cold water. After seconds of waiting for it to surface, the referee hoisted his flag, pointing to Matt.  
  
"Rhydon is unable to battle! Matt is the winner!"  
  
The audience began to cheer loudly as Matt's opposing trainer absorbed Rhydon back inside its Pokéball. Matt hoisted his arms up in the air as he had just finished his second match victorious. He called Onix back inside its Greatball and began to exit the arena. "I don't think I'm really that nervous at all anymore..."  
  
"You! I saw you!" a girl shouted at the arena's exit.  
  
Matt didn't realize the girl was talking to him, so he continued walking.  
  
"Hey! That's rude! I'm talking to you here!" she placed her hands at her hips.  
  
Matt turned around and looked at her. "I'm sorry, are you talking to me...?" Matt took a second to examine her clothing. She was in a short, tight black skirt with a matching blouse. Her face had a light tan, with long brown hair. He then blushed.  
  
The girl then approached Matt. "Umm...yeah. May I have your autograph?" she asked, holding out a Pokéball and a black felt-pen.  
  
Matt blinked. "Why...?"  
  
"Well, I'm from Pallet Town, too. And even though there are others from there here in Viridian, I want the cutest boy to sign!"  
  
"Don't you usually get famous people to sign autographs?"  
  
"Oh, you're quite famous! I mean, my family has been cheering for you ever since you left!"  
  
Matt reluctantly grabbed the Pokéball and the felt-pen. "Okay, so, what's your name?"  
  
The girl angrily placed her hands at her hips again. "Do you have a short-termed memory or something?! My name's Rachel!"  
  
"Please. The only Rachel I knew was..." he paused, then took a look at the girl's face again, "back in the third grade."  
  
She giggled. "You remembered!"  
  
Matt coughed intentionally, staring at Rachel's outfit. "And since when do your parents let you dress like THAT?!"  
  
Rachel gave a surprised look at Matt. "What's wrong with this outfit! I think it looks very nice on me, don't you?!"  
  
"It makes you look like a prostitute." Matt muttered loud enough so only Rachel could hear.  
  
Rachel's face turned completely red. "Look, we're not here so you could comment on what I'm wearing. Are you going to sign that thing or what?"  
  
"All right." Matt scribbled a short message on the Pokéball, along with his signature at the bottom. "Here. And tell your parents I said: 'hello'." With that, Matt turned around and started to walk away.  
  
Rachel leaped forward and grabbed his arm. "Where do you think YOU'RE going?!" she snapped.  
  
Matt shook her hand off and gave her an angry look. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't hold me up; I have somebody to meet."  
  
"Your family, right? Don't worry about it, they can wait a few minutes for you, can't they?"  
  
"No," Matt frustratingly answered, followed with a sigh. "I'm meeting my friend Lizzie. Her battle's in just over an hour and I need to go and buy her a gift."  
  
"Lizzie...? Friend...? I-is that all you are? I mean is anything going on between you two by any chance?" Rachel stammered.  
  
Matt blinked, then blushed before reluctantly answering: "Well...we're not...technically, but...then again." He stopped and thought for a second. He then shook his head. "In all honesty, I really have no idea."  
  
"So...that means I can...break in between you two?" her face perked up with a nervous smile.  
  
Matt took in a deep breath, then nervously chuckled.. "Okay, this is getting embarrassing. I'm sorry, I really need to go." Matt then turned and walked away, this time without interruption.  
  
Rachel remained still, silent, as Matt walked away. She then looked and read what was on her Pokéball. The contents read: 'Nice to see you again, Rachel. Matt Tenks'.  
  
She giggled. "He'll be mine, yet."  
  
* * *  
  
"I, uh, got you something." Matt handed Lizzie a small package that was gift-wrapped. "I know your birthday's not until the next little while, but I thought that it would be nice to get you this."  
  
Lizzie took the present with a big smile on her face. "Oh, Matt, that is so sweet." She gently took off the gift wrap and opened the box. "So many tissues." she slowly dug through it, and pulled out an Ultraball. "What kind of Pokéball is this?"  
  
"It's a new Ultraball, currently one of the best ways to capture really hard Pokémon. It has a new Pokémon inside it."  
  
Lizzie looked up at Matt. "You managed to capture a really hard Pokémon?"  
  
"I looked around Viridian for a bit, and saw this really rare creature; I don't even know what it is. My Greatball had absolutely no effect on it, so I threw one of these that I bought earlier."  
  
"It must have been so expensive."  
  
"No, just let it out."  
  
"All right." Lizzie opened the Pokéball, as a small creature with short legs and many red spots on its back along with long, sad, shut eyes, and a long nose looked around and took a peek at Lizzie."  
  
"Cyndaquil...?" it looked around in confusion.  
  
"Sinda...kwill...?" Matt tried to pronounce. "I really have no idea. Even my Pokédex has no information."  
  
"But it's so cute!" Lizzie slowly picked up the strange Pokémon and looked at it. "Hi there!" She suddenly clenched her teeth as she slowly put down the Pokémon, shaking her hands continuously after putting it down.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Hot...hot. Geez, that burns!" Lizzie blew on her hands, in an attempt to cool them down.  
  
"A fire Pokémon...now you have something to use if your Vulpix gets knocked out."  
  
Lizzie shot a look at Matt. "Are you crazy?! I'm not letting a Pokémon I haven't even trained go into battle!"  
  
Matt looked at the Cyndaquil's back as he could now see that there were small flames flowing from it. "Maybe we should go look ask Professor Oak. Besides, I need to ask how my Chikorita's doing."  
  
Lizzie called the Cyndaquil back inside its Pokéball. She then examined her hands again. "The burn doesn't seem serious; I'll be okay."  
  
As both of them enter the Pokémon Center, Matt placed his fainted Pokémon with Nurse Joy, as Lizzie asked if there was anything the Pokémon Center had from which she could use to do some research for other Pokémon.  
  
Lizzie pulled out a magazine from one of the shelves and turned to a specific section. She then witnissed a clear picture of a Cyndaquil, then showed it to Matt. "You're right. It's a Cyndaquil..."  
  
"Where did it come from? Is it another Johto Pokémon?" Matt asked.  
  
"I believe so, it says here that they're usually found in Johto, but they can be lead to here in Indigo."  
  
Matt nodded. "That's interesting. A lot of them seem to be roaming around here lately. Because the Professor found a Chikorita egg laying around." He then looked at the clock. "Your match begins in about twenty minutes. Should we get going?"  
  
Lizzie nodded as she put the magazine away. "I think that if I'm stuck fighting a trainer with a bug Pokémon that Val can't handle, I'm using this."  
  
"I'd give anything a try. You can't hesitate either, or your Pokémon won't trust you."   
  
Matt picked up his healed Pokémon at the front desk and released Squirtle from his Pokéball. "Hey, how are you feeling?"  
  
"Squirtle..." Squirtle replied with doubt.  
  
"Hey, you fought really well today," Matt picked up Squirtle, "don't get so down on yourself. It was my fault for not looking over my strategy."  
  
Matt approached Lizzie, as they both left the Pokémon Center. They once again fought through large crowds before finally arriving towards the stadium. At its entrance however, a figure waves to both of them. They both suddenly rush to it.  
  
"Jordan! I knew you'd make it!" Matt shook Jordan's hand upon his arrival.  
  
"I'm sorry I got here so late. Team Rocket has been messing a lot of things up. This is their last line of action I guess, now that most of their secret headquarters have been found out. I managed to watch both of your matches though. You both did great out there!"  
  
Lizzie smiled. "Thanks! My match is about to begin. Make sure you cheer really loud for me, okay?"  
  
Jordan laughed. "I'll do my best."  
  
"Well, let's go." As Lizzie dashed inside the stadium, Matt began to follow when Jordan's extended arm stopped him. "Hey, what's wrong?"  
  
"I'm an ex-member of the Elite Four; I can get us some better seats." Jordan smirked.  
  
"Seriously?"  
  
Jordan continued smiling. He then lead Matt to an area inside the arena towards an elevator. He pulled out some card and gave it a small swipe on a security lock. The elevator opened as both Jordan and Matt stepped inside.  
  
"Wow, even the elevator's all classy." Matt commented as he and Squirtle awed at some of the artwork inside of it. It was mostly a classic masterpiece of cherubs, including some other bizarre-looking creatures that Matt had never seen before.  
  
As the elevator reached the top floor, Matt and Jordan stepped out; the battle arena could be seen from possibly the highest view possible. The room had minimal lighting, with the only light coming from outdoors. The floors were tiled, and the far end walls were darkly painted, with a table full of refreshments. On the opposite side of the room, surrounding walls were made entirely out of class; the complete battlefield could be visible from there.  
  
"Long time no see!" Jordan greeted upon entering the room..  
  
"Hey there!" One of the three with short brown hair, a burgandy sweatshirt with blue jeans greeted Jordan and shook his hand.  
  
"It's been a while, Hans." He then turned his attention to another person with short black hair wearing a white t-shirt and blue shorts. "Paul! How've you been!" he shook his hand as well. He quickly turned his attention towards the last one there, his head completely covered with a bandana. He wore a black leather jacket with blue jeans. "Simon! It's been way too long."  
  
"I've hated it here since you left, man," Simon complained, "Lilaine's been a real...well, I really shouldn't say it, but, she's just so serious!"  
  
Hans nodded. "I mean, it's nice having a girl around, if you know what I mean, but she just won't talk to us! If you even look at her the wrong way she'll treat you as if you've killed your own mother!"  
  
"Hey, who's that?" Paul pointed to Matt.  
  
Jordan looked at Matt. "This was a traveling partner of mine. We met outside of Cerulean City. His name's Matt."  
  
Matt put down Squirtle and shook all of their hands. "Nice to meet you, I guess."  
  
"Hey! I saw you fighting that Randy-kid!" Paul blurted. "What were you thinking sending out Onix against that Rhydon?!"  
  
"Well, hey! It's not like I had any other choice! You saw how my Squirtle got completely wiped out, and my Bulbasaur wasn't even with me! Not to mention my Pikachu and Zubat wouldn't have had any sort of chance against it; what did you expect me to do?!"  
  
"Don't get upset, I like how you took the time to think. It's very hard to toss a Rhydon that high into the air like your Onix did. You still won, and I suppose that's important," Hans replied.  
  
"And how could you not bring a grass type with you, since you already had one? You should know that by now," Simon muttered.  
  
Matt looked at the three of them and became angry. "You all talk as if I'm just some rookie with beginner's luck!"  
  
Jordan stepped in between them. "Don't fight. Leave that to the match outdoors."  
  
Matt walked over towards far windows and looked out at the battlefield. "It was a mistake to bring me here; Jordan. I think I'll go back down."  
  
"No, you're not leaving. Here, go sit down, help yourself to some refreshments if you like." Jordan offered.  
  
Matt completely stood still, watching as Lizzie's match was about to begin.  
  
"He's worse than Lilaine..." Simon whispered into Jordan's ear.  
  
"Knock it off. Neither of you had any right to talk to him that way. How about when you were that age? In the heat of battle with only one Pokémon left to use. Haven't you stopped to think that he may have been nervous? I think that he made the right move with what he did." Jordan turned around and took a seat, watching the battle.  
  
Matt eventually backed away from the window and sat down in an empty seat beside Jordan, placing the Squirtle on his lap. The other three eventually sat down, watching how Lizzie's battle would turn out.  
  
Not a lot of noise managed to get through the glass, as Matt was watching the battle go on. He noticed the crowd was cheering at their usual loudest, but only managed to hear a fraction of the actual sound.  
  
Simon laughed. "Sending out a Vileplume against a Vulpix? That's a stupid thing to do."  
  
"No, not really." Matt turned his to Simon and replied, "Maybe she's a bug Pokémon trainer."  
  
Simon shrugged. "It's possible. But it's never a good idea to stick with only one type of Pokémon."  
  
Matt watched as the battle went on. He looked closer as Vileplume had been completely knocked out after two Flamethrower attacks. Both he and Jordan applauded.  
  
The trainer then released a stoud, brown-furred Pokémon with large buck-teeth. Matt couldn't make much more out of it, due to their current altitude from the battlefield. It along with Vulpix began to do battle.  
  
Paul nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think that Vulpix still has the advantage over that thing. Unless the Raticate can get out a Hyper Fang on it, it's pretty much useless."  
  
However, a rapid attack from the Raticate managed to take out most of Vulpix's strength, as Lizzie was forced to draw it back. Lizzie then released Sandshrew from her Pokéball as Hans and Paul both laughed.  
  
"That Raticate is as good as gone," Hans replied, laughing. Paul also laughed, shaking his head as if he was embarrassed.  
  
Matt angrily glared at both Hans and Paul. "You know, it's not polite to laugh."  
  
Jordan whispered quietly into Matt's ear. "Don't bother trying to get involved with them; they'll laugh at pretty much any decision a trainer makes. I also don't want you getting into trouble here, so from now on just sit back and be quiet."  
  
When Matt looked back at the match, just in time to see the fallen Raticate being pulled back into the Pokéball, as Lizzie was one more knock-out away from victory.  
  
The trainer released her last Pokéball, as a Butterfree was released. All three of the trainers in the dome laughed and clapped a few times, as if a very amusing joke was told.  
  
"How did this trainer get to the second round?!" Paul began bang his hand on his knees as Simon started to choke and began to cough, both from laughing so hard. Hans continued to laugh as the final battle was about to begin.  
  
"Butterfree is half flying, half bug," Matt commented. "Flying has an advantage over ground."  
  
Both the two Pokémon on the field began to dash around back and forth, trying various pysical and special attacks, however, Lizzie came out to be the victor as Matt and Jordan applauded.  
  
Hans took a sip of a drink. He then snickered. "I can't believe how pathetic that was. What an easy win."  
  
Matt quickly shot up and walked towards the elevator, frustrated at their rude comments and attitude towards other trainers. "Jordan, I'll see you downstairs." He walked inside and pressed a button. Right away, the two doors opened, as Matt entered, with Squirtle behind him. The door then closed, and Matt was gone.  
  
Hans looked around. "What did I say?"  
  
Jordan cleared his throat and stood up. "You guys have gotten rude. That girl who just won was one of his friends."  
  
"Oh come on, even he knows that it was pure luck that she won," Paul replied.  
  
"That's not the point."  
  
"But he is right..." a voice called from the doorway behind them, right behind the table of refreshments. The woman had long, black hair with a sleeveless navy blue shirt, and tight black pants. "She only won because the other trainer was careless; as you were in our fight recently. Do you remember, Jordan?"  
  
Jordan stood up and faced her. "I wasn't careless, Lilaine, you proved out to beat me."  
  
"Really? Then explain about how I won four of the six matches in our battle?" Lilaine asked calmly, and somewhat mockingly, brushing her hands through her hair.  
  
Jordan shrugged. "I don't know why. You just...proved to be the better trainer."  
  
Lilaine smirked. "It was very gutsy of you to admit that, Jordan." She turned around and walked towards the doorway from which she entered the room. She then turned and looked at Jordan. "You all know that I am the ultimate Pokémon Master. Nobody will ever be able to face up to me." With that, she opened the door, and entered the room, closing it behind her.  
  
Jordan had an angered look on her face. "I never did like her. I hope that one day somebody beats her, and beats her badly."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	32. Give All or Take All

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 32: Give All or Take All  
  
  
  
Lilaine walked up to the counter and poured a cup of black coffee into her porcelaine mug. She then walked over to get some cream for flavour when she jumped, startled. She took a look at a figure who was standing in the room beside of her. "Who are you?!" she exclaimed.  
  
Arrmun chuckled, before stepping out from behind the shadows. "Now, is that a way to greet an old friend?"  
  
Lilaine growled, continuing to stare at Arrmun's face. "Okay, who are you and what do you want?"  
  
Arrmun frowned. "You're not a very good actor, Rocket Member ID number 166043, real name 'Irene', nick name 'Rabid Arbok'. I see you've dyed your hair completely black, and changed your outfit to something more...revealing, to be formal."  
  
Lilaine shot Arrmun an angry look. "How in blazes did you find me?!"  
  
Arrmun chuckled again. "It wasn't hard. Finding old friends is a specialty of mine."  
  
Lilaine walked towards a couch in the next room with her coffee mug in her hand. "I've seen you on the news, trying to shut down Team Rocket, are you?"  
  
"I like to make a difference."  
  
"Ha-HA!" Lilaine laughed mockingly. "In all of my years when we've worked together, I'd never thought I'd hear you say something as stupid as that." She turned around to face him. "What you're doing is foolish; you're asking to get assassinated."  
  
Arrmun shrugged. "Some kid helped me make my decision to get out of there, and allowed me to realize that I wasn't as useless on my own as I had originally contemplated."  
  
"A kid made you quit?"  
  
"This was no ordinairy kid. He was travelling along with two other trainers. One was an adult."  
  
"What did they look like?"  
  
"Well, the main one had short blonde hair, and he always seemed to wear black. He has some sort of strange look in those deep, blue eyes of his. It's almost as if those eyes can determine his fate. The other girl had short brown hair; she seemed to wear mostly cyan and blue, with dark brown eyes. I could swear I had recognized her from somewhere before, and it bothered me more everytime I saw her. And the last one...he was in the Elite Four at the time--"  
  
Lilaine almost choked on her coffee. "Jordan?!"  
  
"I believe that was his name. He gave me this." Arrmun pointed to the scar on his cheek.  
  
Lilaine let out a laugh. "You always were the careless one, weren't you? How did you manage to become a member of Team Rocket's elite for Giovanni anyway?"  
  
"I think the more important question is...how did YOU become a Pokémon master in such a short amount of time?"  
  
Lilaine took a long look at Arrmun and let out a smirk. "If you want advice, then too bad, I'm not giving any to you."  
  
Arrmun chortled. "Seriously, don't take me as an idiot; you know what I meant."  
  
Lilaine turned around and sipped her coffee. "How else? You train hard. That's the advice that's given to anyone. Even you yourself know that."  
  
"Which Pokémon did you swipe from Team Rocket before you left?"  
  
Lilaine nearly choked again as she faced Arrmun again, with an angered look on her face. "That's unbelieveably insulting!"  
  
"You took Giovanni's Scizor, didn't you? Come on now, we both know that he's the only one around here that has one, and when you vanished, that Pokéball mysteriously vanished as well."  
  
Lilaine clenched a fist and shook her head in disgust. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. Particularly from somebody like you!"  
  
"You took Pokémon that were of higher levels than those of the Elite Four. You managed to breeze by the first three, and lost a few times battling the last one, Jordan. His miserable loss was what cost him his place as the highest standing member."  
  
"You wretch!" Lilaine pointed to the exit. "Get out! I don't want to here such monstrous words from you!"  
  
"You're going to tell Giovanni I was here, aren't you? Or are you still working for him?"  
  
"For your information, I couldn't take his strict orders anymore. One after another, after another. For what? Stealing Pokémon? WIth force? It was the most ridiculous, trivial work I had ever received in all of my life. I almost cracked, but I secretly raided his place one evening and swiped his best Pokémon."  
  
"How ironic. So, you stole his Pokémon AND you became a Pokémon master with them...Irene."  
  
"Look, if any of this gets out to the public, I'm going to place these hands around your neck, and I will refuse to let go. No mercy."  
  
Arrmun shrugged. "You're going to get caught eventually, with or without my help. So, either way, you're stuck with your own problems."  
  
Lilaine continued pointing to the exit. "For the last time, out..."  
  
Arrmun silently stood there for another second, then nodded. He exited the room, closing the door behind him, now in the area where one could watch Pokémon battles at the highest view point. He looked at a Pokéball he was holding in his hands. "This Scizor is possibly the strongest Pokémon out there, according to its battle experience. I think I'll keep it for myself as a souvenir. Or give it to somebody as a gift." Arrmun quietly chuckled. "We'll see how she does without this," he tossed it once into the air, and caught it on its way down.  
  
* * *  
  
The next week proved very successful for both Matt and Lizzie with their status in the Pokémon League. They both had proven victorious in their latest three matches, both in the two final fields, Rock and Water. The matches now were leading to who will be the final competitor who finishes at the top of their league to not only become the victor of the tournament that year, but also to compete with the Elite Four. Both Matt and Lizzie were just two more matches away from this once in a lifetime opportunity.  
  
It was mid-afternoon, as both Matt and Lizzie were able to rest well for the next couple of days, since now, the matches are left with more space, to give time for relaxation and overlooking their strategies. They, along with Jordan, were sitting in a restaurant, eating an early dinner.  
  
Matt shook his head. "In all honesty, I never thought I would make it this far. I thought that I would have made it to near the end of the four fields matches, but I've never felt more confident with myself that I can go all the way."  
  
Lizzie nodded. "It is a surprise, a pleasant surprise, for both of us. But what's bothering me is that most of the trainers who battled have already left to go home. I mean, do they not want their participation trophy?"  
  
"You can't really blame them. I think the further you get, the more bitter it'll be once you get that trophy. Besides, there are only four competitors left. That's you, myself, and two other trainers."  
  
Lizzie picked up a fork as her food had just arrived. "Not to mention the battles are getting an awful lot harder." She put a piece of food in her mouth and chewed.  
  
Matt picked up a spoon as his meal also arrived, taking a sip of his soup. "With luck, we could be stuck facing ourselves. I guess that almost guarantees that one of us will make it to the final round." He turned his head towards Jordan. "Hey, is something wrong? You haven't touched your food, or said anything in the past few minutes."  
  
Jordan shook his head. "Nothing's wrong, but, actually, now that you mention it, I'm beginning to suspect Lilaine."  
  
Matt swallowed his spoonful of soup. "Oh, the woman who beat you. Why would you suspect her now?"  
  
Jordan shrugged his shoulders. "It always seemed too strange the way she beat me those several months back. And the way she's been acting with the other members of the Elite Four. I hope that they better find a replacement, or else there's going to be only three members this year. Unless she herself decides to battle as the top of the Elite Four."  
  
Lizzie looked at Jordan. "You mean they still haven't found a replacement yet? That's irresponsible, they've had all this time to do that!"  
  
Jordan nodded in agreement. "Yes, of course, but I've been thinking that there's something more to Lilaine than what I think. Now that I think about it, she seemed nervous when battling me with her Pokémon, as if she had recently received them, or something."  
  
"It's natural to be nervous to fight the very last battle in order to become a master," Matt commented. "Besides, don't you think you're exaggerating a little bit? I mean, you lost, what's the big deal?"  
  
Jordan sighed. "I suppose so." He then looked at the empty seat, where Squirtle would normally be sitting. "Hey, isn't that where Zenigame usually sits?"  
  
Matt nodded, as he took another sip of his soup. "I'm trying to get him to stay inside his Pokéball more often. That way it'll make traveling a lot easier."  
  
Lizzie finished the last few bits on her plate as she pushed her empty plate aside. "I can't eat another bite..."  
  
Matt pushed his empty bowl aside as well. "That was so good."  
  
Jordan just pushed his plate full of food aside. "I'm not very hungry. I feel bad; I hope they won't throw it out."  
  
"Here, I'll help you with that." Matt grabbed Jordan's plate and began eating what was on it. A grilled steak along with French fries. Lizzie also helped, picking at the French fries once in a while.  
  
After finally finishing their meal, Lizzie stood up. "Hey, we start our matches tomorrow. Want to see who we're battling?"  
  
Matt smiled and nodded. "Gladly..."  
  
* * *  
  
"This will do it, Val! Use your Fire Blast!" Lizzie commanded her Vulpix.  
  
It was the final match of a tie-breaker between Lizzie and a young trainer named Will. It was his Nidorino versus Lizzie's Vulpix. Lizzie's Vulpix managed to quickly wear Nidorino down, as it was ready to unleash its most powerful attack.  
  
Vulpix charged istelf, as it unleashed the powerful attack full force. Nidorino was prepared for the powerful attack, as it managed to move slightly to the side, getting grazed by the attack. Even though it barely touched it, it left severe burns on Nidorino's right side of the body.  
  
"Nidorino! While it's down, use your Double Kick!" Will yelled.  
  
Vulpix, having little time to react, was surprised seeing two large feet striking it twice across the face a chill went tingling down Lizzie's spine. She sighed in relief, knowing that her Vulpix was still able to continue battling as it managed to pull itself up.  
  
"Give it a Quick Attack!" Lizzie quickly shouted.  
  
Quickly rebounding from Nidorino's attack, it bounced straight off the ground, and placed a hard strike right in Nidorino's mid-section, knocking it off balance and flat on its back. Nidorino tried several times to get back up to its feet. However, after a few tries, it shut its eyes and completely fell flat on its back. The referee rose the flag, rewarding Lizzie the victory.  
  
The crowd roared as Lizzie jumped in the air several times in victory. "I did it! I did it! This is too good to be true!"  
  
Will let out a heavy sigh as he called back Nidorino. "You did a good job. Let's go rest." He left the battle arena, slightly disappointed.  
  
Matt greeted Lizzie with a hug. "That was fantastic! You won just like I did!"  
  
Lizzie's big smile suddenly turned into a frown. "But...that means we have to face each other."  
  
Matt slightly frowned, too. "I guess we'll have to give it our all, then. No holding back. And I mean that."  
  
Lizzie nodded. "No holding back."  
  
* * *  
  
It was morning, the morning of the final match. Matt versus Lizzie. Matt had woken up early, staring straight up at the ceiling. "This is my last match. I would normally feel so nervous, but, am I too confident? Why do I think I can take Lizzie? No, I've seen the way she's fought; this is not going to be an easy battle. None of them have been, but this is going to be the hardest, knowing who I've been traveling with the past several months."  
  
He jumped out of bed and changed into his 'usual' clothing, which was his black t-shirt along with his black jeans. He put on his Pokéball belt and gave a serious look in the mirror. "Battle is in two hours. I'm ready."  
  
Matt decided not to see Lizzie at all that day, since looking at her and talking to her may give him some discouragement. He ate a quick breakfast, and cleaned his teeth. After combing his hair, he walked out to the stadium, as many people in the streets were pointing to him, waving and cheering. Some even asked for pictures. He grinned and agreed, allowing the tourists and fans to take them.  
  
A figure suddenly came dashing out behind him. "Hey! Hey! Matt! You haven't spoken to me! You're mean!"  
  
Matt felt a shiver up his spine. "Don't tell me she followed me here." He turned around, surprised to see Rachel. "Oh, it's you."  
  
Rachel placed her hands on her hips. "What do you mean 'it's you'?! You've been ignoring me since I found you last week! What did you think you were doing?!"  
  
"I'm sorry, I've been busy," he replied, and noticed that Rachel was dressed in baggy jeans and a short T-shirt. "I see you've changed your outfit."  
  
"Are you STILL thinking about what I was wearing the last time I saw you?! Never mind...my parents wanted me to tell you good luck for you, since today's your big match! I hope you win!"  
  
Matt smirked slightly. "Thanks, but it's not going to be easy."  
  
"Well, nothing in this world's easy! When life gives you a helping hand, you have to reach out and grab it! Embrace the chance its giving you! Don't throw it away, or you could regret it later!"  
  
Matt took those words in, and repeated them over in his head. "Embrace the chance...that's very deep of you, Rachel."  
  
Rachel smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way about me! I'm sure you're feeling nervous enough about this match, so, I'll talk to you later, okay? Bye!" Rachel turned around and dashed off into the streets.  
  
Matt smiled. "Embrace the chance it's giving you...don't throw it away, or else you could regret it later." He repeated those words to himself as slowly the two hours passed by. Before he knew it the match was about to begin. He slowly stepped into the battlefield, seeing people sitting on the stairs to see today's match. "Embrace the chance...embrace it!"  
  
Lizzie slowly walked in from her end, as the crowd began to cheer. The final battle; the battle which will determine the victor of the Indigo championships. One will come out on top, the other will fall just short. This was that battle.  
  
"All right, ladies and gentlemen! This is it!" the stadium's announcer stated loudly over the P.A. The final battle between two very fine competitors in this year's tournament! Today, the best from Pallet and Cerulean go head to head in this year's final match! The victor will win first place in this year's tournament and go on to challenge the Elite Four! The losing trainer will gain second place! But in this case, nobody is a loser today! History is going to be made! Pokémon Trainers, give it all you've got, and go!"  
  
The crowd began to cheer very loudly, whistling, and throwing some light confetti onto the field. The cheers were so loud, that Matt and Lizzie could hear nothing else.  
  
The referee stepped into the center of the arena. "All right, Pokémon Trainers. Best-of-five match. First trainer to reach three wins will be the victor. Good luck to both of you. Now, begin!"  
  
Matt's heart began to beat very fast. He then yelled: "I'm not holding back a thing, Lizzie! Don't you dare hesitate for even a moment!" Matt wasn't sure if Lizzie heard him or not, but decided to prepare his first Greatball for battle. He then threw it into the arena. Onix sprung out from it.  
  
Lizzie grabbed a Greatball from her belt and released Articuno.  
  
Matt choked on his saliva. "I forgot, she has that Pokémon. Onix! Be careful, if just one Ice Beam connects with you, you're gone! Start out with a Tackle attack!"  
  
Onix curled itself low into the ground, before leaping up, in an attempt to strike the Articuno. It quickly flew to the side, avoiding the attack completely.  
  
"Articuno! You need to try your Ice Beam attack!" Lizzie commanded.  
  
Articuno's beak began to charge up with its most powerful attack. Matt knew exactly what was going to happen next. "Onix! Hurry and go underground!"  
  
As Articuno unleashed its attack, Onix quickly dug underneath the battle arena. However, its tail managed to get struck by the beam, as a small block of ice grew on top of it. It attempted to shatter it, but to no avail. Muffled howls of pain could be heard from underground.  
  
Matt cursed under his breath. "Onix! Attack from below!"  
  
Instantly, the ground below Articuno spread open as it was struck with Onix's rock hard body. It fell to the ground, as the referee ruled that Onix had won the first match. The crowd began to cheer.  
  
Matt's eyes then widened, as he noticed that his Onix's tail was still covered in ice. "This will slow things down a bit..."  
  
Lizzie grabbed another Pokéball and threw it. Vulpix was released.  
  
Matt let out a heavy sigh. "She's throwing away the match. I don't understand. She knows that fire's no good against rock."  
  
As he looked onto the battlefield, he saw Onix crying in pain, as the ice on its tail was suddenly blasted with one of Vulpix's fire attacks. It took a few seconds for Matt to understand that the sudden change in temperature really took Onix by shock, as it fell to the battle field and was not moving.  
  
Matt absorbed Onix back inside. "How clever of her. However, I still have the advantage." He grabbed another Pokéball. "Zenigame, it's time for action!" He threw it as Squirtle appeared. "Zenigame, use your Water Gun!"  
  
"Val! You need to use your Quick Attack; dodge that water!"  
  
Squirtle made various attempts to strike Vulpix with a streaming blast of, but was struck several times by Vulpix's Quick Attack. After regaining its balance, Squirtle released a spray of water that hit Vulpix point blank, knocking it off balance, and sending it gasping for breath.  
  
"Skull Bash!"  
  
Squirtle accelerated to a high speed and struck Vulpix's furry body with a solid connection with Squirtle's head. The referee ruled Vulpix unable to battle as Lizzie drew it back inside. The crowd roared once again, as Matt took the lead, two matches to one.  
  
Matt took in several deep breaths. "I don't know how much more of this battle I can take. All I need it just one more victory. Just one."  
  
Lizzie pulled out her last Pokéball. "I don't know what else I have that can defeat a water Pokémon. This is my last chance. I better make it count." She threw it into the battlefield as a strange, glowing pink blob appeared onto the field.  
  
Matt blinked. "A Ditto...great. This is going to slow down the battle."  
  
"Transform!"  
  
Ditto took a good long look at Squirtle's form as it body began to glow, metamorphisizing into a perfect copy..  
  
"Zenigame, quickly! You have to try another Skull Bash!"  
  
Squirtle from its previous position, moved forward to attempt another mighty physical attack. Lizzie ordered her Ditto to move to the side, as Squirtle's head came in contact with the sidelines, giving itself some damage. Ditto copied Squirtle's last move, and came with direct contact with Squirtle's hard shell, sending him into the arena's walls again.  
  
Matt instantly knew that his Pokémon was no longer moving as he drew him back inside. "This is it. We're tied at two. Just one last Pokémon. This has to work, it has to!" He grabbed his final Pokéball. "Charmeleon. You're going to be the one who'll bring me victory." He tossed it, as Charmeleon appeared, ready to battle.  
  
"Ditto, you'll have to transform again," Lizzie commanded. "Technically you have the type advantage, but without Squirtle in battle, you won't be able to use its attacks."  
  
Ditto acknowledged the trainer's command, as it once again quickly changed its shape to look exactly like the Charmeleon.  
  
"Don't hold back, embrace its gift..." Matt muttered. "All right! Fire's no good in this match, we'll have to go all physical! Use your Slash attack!"  
  
"Ditto, use your Slash attack!" Lizzie commanded.  
  
Both Pokémon charged toward each other, with their claws up in the air, unleashing one sharp, painful after another. After an exchange of swipes from their claws, and attempted strikes from their tails, both Pokémon backed off, awaiting their trainer's next command.  
  
"Charmeleon, this might be useless, but use Growl!" Matt commanded.  
  
Charmeleon took in a deep breath and release a loud, thunderous, intimidating growl directly into Ditto's face. Ditto began to feel slightly discouraged with Charmeleon's yell, as its fighting stance began too loosened up.  
  
"Ditto, try a Rage!"  
  
Ditto's tail flame increased largely in size, as it was prepared to unleash several attacks at Charmeleon.  
  
"It's too late, it's about to attack. Charmeleon! Brace yourself!"  
  
Charmeleon put up its claws in a defensive position as Ditto began to release one blow after another. Charmeleon was left yelling in pain after the barrage of attacks as one came in clean contact with its stomach.  
  
"Charmeleon! Give it another Slash!"  
  
Charmeleon saw that Ditto had dropped its defense slightly, as it took a large swipe, coming with complete contact with its left cheek. Ditto fell to the ground in pain, and Charmeleon was gasping for breath.  
  
"Is it over?" Matt asked. "No, it's still moving. Charmeleon! Finish it off with another Slash!"  
  
Charmeleon raised both of its claws, prepared to take another hit at Ditto. It swung both of them fiercely, but at the last instant, Ditto jumped high in the air, allowing Charmeleon to get both of its claws stuck in the ground, struggling to bring them back up.  
  
"Ditto! Use another Rage!"  
  
While Ditto was in the air, it quickly dove at Charmeleon, releasing one swipe to Charmeleon's defenseless back one after another. Matt looked on in terror, and helplessness, knowing that all he could do was watch and fear. Ditto jumped off and watched as Charmeleon stood there, motionless.  
  
Matt gasped. He then began to yell, "You still have a chance, Charmeleon! Come on!"  
  
Charmeleon finally managed to pull its claws out from the ground, as it turned to face Ditto, with burning determination in its eyes.  
  
Matt smiled. "That's it! Go and give it a Slash!"  
  
Charmeleon limped forward, and raised its claws ready to attack.  
  
"Come on! Just a little more! Come on, one more push. Come on, Charmeleon, don't go out like this!" Matt pleaded. "This is your last opportunity to strike! Go! Embrace the chance, embrace it, damn it!"  
  
Charmeleon stumbled on the piece of the battle field that was torn up, then it fell flat on ts stomach. Matt tried to look around the Ditto, for it was blocking his view. "Come on, get up! Please! Get up!"  
  
The audience was in silence. Charmeleon made one final attempt to get up on its feet; it didn't want to have its master disappointed with it. It got up, and took in a deep breath.  
  
Matt smiled. "Come on, just one more hit, that's all you need!"  
  
Lizzie stood there, staring at her Ditto. "It's eager to finish it off, I want to let it have one more hit."  
  
Charmeleon took a few steps at a time, as it was prepared to strike, its claw, hanging high in the air, wobbling. After only a few brief moments, it stared into the eyes of the Ditto, before moving its eyes to Matt, almost apologetic in its look. Its eyes rolled to the back of its head and collapsed on tio Ditto. Ditto backed off, as Charmeleon's solid body made what seemed to be a loud thud on the battlefield in the quiet stadium.  
  
Matt watched in silence, and disbelief. There were a few more moments of silence as the referee rose his flag towards Lizzie. "Charmeleon has fallen in battle. Lizzie is our winner!"  
  
The crowd roared as Matt stood still, still in disbelief that it was all over. Just like that. He looked at the fallen Charmeleon, then at the victorious Ditto. He exchanged glances back and forth, then fell to his knees. "I've failed my Pokémon...I gave it everything I had."  
  
He then allowed himself to fall flat on his stomach, sticking his nose into the cold battle terrain. "I can't believe I lost like this."  
  
Lizzie drew Ditto back inside its Pokéball. She then looked at Matt and sighed, shaking her head. "You told me not to hold back, so I kept my end of the bargain. I certainly hope you kept yours." She turned around and walked towards the main reception hall of the stadium, where she would be rewarded her trophy for being the victor of the Indigo championships.  
  
As some of the spectators left, Matt pulled himself to his feet, continuing to stare at the fallen, immobile Charmeleon. Matt drew the fallen Charmeleon back inside its Pokéball, at long last. He then stared at it for a minute. "My good friend, don't feel that you've failed me. It was me that failed you.  
  
"So I lost...it wasn't so bad. I did win second place. I should feel happy for at least that. This will make Pallet Town look very good." Matt looked up and stared at the afternoon sky. "The day is still young. I need to congratulate Lizzie. It was obvious that she deserved to win after all." He smiled.  
  
"I tried to reach for life's helping hand. However, it felt I wasn't ready for that help yet, and turned me down. This isn't the end. I shouldn't be discouraged." He walked out of the battle arena and started to head towards the Pokémon Center.  
  
He smiled again. "This was my very first complete competition. Maybe next time, I'll finish first."  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	33. All for Nothing

Pokémon - The Journey Begins  
  
Chapter 33: All for Nothing  
  
  
  
Early the next morning, Matt lay flat on his bed in the Pokémon Center. Lizzie's bed had long since been empty, and Jordan was right beside him, in an attempt to wake him up. "Hey, Lizzie's first match with the Elite Four's starting in an hour. Aren't you coming?"  
  
Matt turned to the other side in the bed. "No, I haven't slept well; I think I'll just stay here. Tell me how it goes later."  
  
"You're not upset about losing still, are you? You finished second in your first complete competition; that's actually pretty impressive if you ask me. When I started out, I didn't even make it past my second match. Does that make you feel any better?"  
  
"I'm not upset or anything, I'm just tired," Matt replied. "Just leave me be, I want to sleep a bit more."  
  
"Matt, it's almost noon," Jordan begged. "She's going up against Hans; it should be a good battle. Are you sure you don't want to come? She'd really like to see you out there."  
  
Matt shook around in his bed. "I saw the look she gave me when she beat me yesterday, I'm not in the mood to talking with anybody right now."  
  
"Fine," Jordan replied, letting go a heavy sigh. "I'll see you later." With that, he left the bedroom, closing the door behind him.  
  
After about another hour, Matt pushed back the covers and sat up straight in his bed. The only images being placed in his head were his Charmeleon collapsing on the Ditto, then falling flat on the battlefield. he quickly shook his head and took a look at the dresser. Matt blinked, noticing something there that he hadn't previously noticed. "That's funny, I don't remember that Pokéball being there."  
  
Matt stood up and walked towards it, picking it up, noticing a small note attached to the bottom of it. He tore it off and read it outloud: "'I found you a little gift; it may prove useful in your long journey. Once again, thanks...'." Matt thought for a minute. "It couldn't have been Rachel...she doesn't know a thing about Pokémon."  
  
Matt took the Pokédex from his backpack. He saw a blurred picture of a tall Pokémon with two, long red claws, and glaring eyes appear, but he had no idea what it was. He entered a few more commands, but that was all the information his Pokédex had. "It kind of looks like a Scyther, but I never thought that Scyther had an evolved form. I really don't know." He put the Pokéball into his backpack. "I'm not deserving of this Pokémon, though. I'll give it to Lizzie when she returns."  
  
A few minutes after Matt changed his clothing, both Lizzie and Jordan walked into the room unexpectedly.  
  
Matt looked at them both. "Hey, what's going on? Don't you have a match now?"  
  
Lizzie shook her head. "It's cancelled."  
  
"The match?" Matt asked, still exchanging glances between the two.  
  
"The league. The rest of it is cancelled. One of Lilaine's Pokémon was stolen. She felt that the only way to make the thief pay is to make all the participants suffer by erasing all of their positions in the league," Jordan shook his head.  
  
"WHAT?!" Matt exclaimed. "That's absolutely stupid! Why would she do that over some stolen Pokémon?! What if the person who stole it is long gone by now?!"  
  
Lizzie shrugged. "I guess it's one way to make the thief return it. The person will get arrested, but at least all the stats will be restored."  
  
"It's STILL stupid. All that hard work, thrown away because somebody decided to do something STUPID as steal one of her Pokémon!" Matt walked over and kicked the wall. "It makes me so angry!"  
  
"She said that the Pokémon stolen was a Scizor." Jordan added.  
  
Matt shot a look at Jordan. "What's a Scizor?"  
  
"Well...it's mostly red...and it's the evolved form of a Scyther. Whoever stole it made a good choice, you can't find any Scizzor around here."  
  
Matt quickly walked over to his backpack and pulled out the Pokéball which obtained the strange Pokémon image from before. "This has a Scizor inside. It can't be the one though, can it? It damn well better not be."  
  
"Wait a minute, what are YOU doing with it?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"I saw it on the dresser when I woke up, along with this note." Matt pulled out the note from his pocket and handed it to Lizzie, then to Jordan.  
  
"Arrmun..." Jordan muttered. "Arrmun stole it. The idiot."  
  
"Arrmun?!" Matt exclaimed. "Oh, GOD! Tell me this isn't happening! Lizzie should be battling the Elite Four!"  
  
"We have to give it back. Hopefully our stats will be revived," Lizzie replied.  
  
"Are you NUTS?! She'll suspect us, then we'll all lose our trainers' licenses! Damn it, this SUCKS!" Matt kicked the wall again. "What the hell are we supposed to do?!"  
  
"Calm down, you'll make the other people around here uncomfortable," Jordan replied. "There's really nothing we can do."  
  
Matt looked at both Jordan and Lizzie. "You're giving up? No, we can't give up. We have to do something about this. This isn't right. To any of us. Even the other trainers who managed to get so far. Something has to be done!"  
  
"Matt, forget it. We've lost. All of them did. There are already some protestors out now, and knowing Lilaine, she's not going to stop until she gets her Pokémon back..." Jordan sighed. "We have until sunset to have it returned, or your stats are gone for good."  
  
Matt shook his head. "It's still stupid..." he muttered, grabbing the Pokéball. "I'm going to take the fall. Lizzie deserves the chance to battle the Elite Four."  
  
"No," Jordan walked up and grabbed the Pokéball. "I'll take the fall; both of you deserve to continue your journey."  
  
Lizzie grabbed the Pokéball. "Let's just have it transported somewhere. That way we'll hope she'll find it."  
  
Matt shook her head. "There's no way we'd be able to do it without getting caught. There's security increased everywhere."  
  
Lizzie sighed. "Then...I guess that's it, then. It was a good run."  
  
Matt groaned. "All for nothing. At least a hundred trainers gave their all for no cause whatsoever..."  
  
"Surprised?" a figure asked, jumping through the open Pokémon Center's window.  
  
Matt snarled. "Arrmun, you creep! Do you have any idea what you've just done?!"  
  
"I gave you a little gift; I was hoping you'd be grateful...looks like I was way off there, as usual." Arrmun replied, putting his hands in his pocket.  
  
"You just made all of our hard work pointless! Our efforts were nothing! What were you thinking?!"  
  
Lizzie stepped in front of Matt. "I don't always agree with Matt's socializing methods, but what you did was wrong. All of the trainers who put their best effors to get somewhere in this league were completely wasted. Why did you do that?"  
  
"To shut down a secret operation running in the Pokémon Master's residence," Arrmun muttered. "She and I go way back."  
  
"Just wait a second..." Jordan stepped forward. "How do YOU know Lilaine?"  
  
"Her real name is Irene, to be exact," Arrmun replied. "She was an ex-Team Rocket member. She stole that Pokémon from Giovanni and recently has been in communication to some other group."  
  
"Team Rocket?!" Jordan exclaimed. "My suspicions were right!"  
  
Arrmun nodded. "Yes...I had no idea she would do something so ridiculous as to completely shut down the league because of a stolen Pokémon that she herself had originally stolen."  
  
Matt took the Pokéball from Jordan and shoved it into Arrmun's hand. "This has to be stopped now. If you give it back to her now, our stats will return."  
  
Arrmun dropped it on the floor. "She doesn't deserve such Pokémon. Only you three are worth of handling its powers. Besides, she's about to be arrested anyway."  
  
"Did you have to do it THIS way?! Look at the mess you made! The stats of several trainers are now gone because of this! They all deserve to tell their family and friends that what happened here counts, not something that was erased because somebody stole a Pokémon." Matt clenched a fist in his hand. "Do you know how many weeks were put into this--no, how many months we've waited just for this opportunity?! I want it to be a known fact that I finished second at the Indigo Pokémon League championships!"  
  
Arrmun shot an angry look at Matt. "Young one, you need to learn to control your tongue. This is to bring her out into the open. I knew she would react somehow, and by doing this, the police were able to retrieve some evidence about her through the radars. She's up to something, and we're going to go and figure that out once we go after her later today."  
  
"Hey!" Jordan called to all of them, as they all turned to face them. "Couldn't this have waited until after?! This happened right in the middle of a very important match here!"  
  
"How do we know that she'll still be around after the Pokémon League is completed? Regardless, I had to act one way in order to bring her out into the open. What you don't realize is that she is a very dangerous criminal. Unfortunately, your vaulable statistics may have to go to waste," Arrmun explained. "Regardless, I double-checked to make sure. Your statistics will not be lost. Back-up files of the originals are made daily, so I was absolutely certain what I was doing before I moved out."  
  
"I can't believe I'm hearing this. I don't want to hear anymore; I'm going to pack my things and go eat somewhere." Matt walked towards the dresser and opened it, unpacking some clothing.  
  
Jordan continued to look at Arrmun. "You couldn't pick a worse time to do something as a raid during the battles. I don't care if it wasn't unavoidable, you obviously didn't think about this one too well. Now, take that Pokémon and get out." Jordan turned around and left the room. Lizzie looked at Arrmun for a second, then followed Jordan out.  
  
Matt placed his clothes in his backpack and zipped it up. He then slung it over his shoulders and looked at Arrmun. "It makes me wonder if you're actually doing this for everyone else, or just for yourself. I hope you realize how many lives you've completely ruined today." Matt fastened his Pokéball belt and left the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
Arrmun stood in complete silence for the next few seconds. He then looked at the Pokéball that was on the carpeted floor. He sighed as he turned around and looked out the window, watching trainers walk by, talking about the incident. "Unfortunately, I had no other choice. It was either your statistics, or allowing the vile woman roam free."  
  
Arrmun picked up the Pokéball and looked at it. "Regardless, there's no point in feeling regret now. If we're going to shut her down, we might as well do it now."  
  
* * *  
  
"You FIEND!" Lilaine exclaimed, reaching for the Pokéball.  
  
Arrmun held his hand back. "How can I be certain that you'll restore the stats once I return this to you?"  
  
Lilaine grunted. "I really don't care whether their stats are returned or not, the thing is, you stole my Pokémon!"  
  
"Why are you complaining? This wasn't even yours in the first place," Arrmun teased.  
  
Lilaine let out a yell. "Stop this insanity! I want my Pokémon back!"  
  
Arrmun chuckled. "I think not," he snapped his fingers as suddenly many police officers entered the room completely armed.  
  
"Hands up, Team Rocket!" one of the officers exclaimed, holding up their weapons.  
  
"I don't believe you're doing this! You brought the police just to make sure I would be returning the stats?!" Lilaine frowned. "You are the lowest of low."  
  
"Oh, really?" Arrmun asked, as he went to the kitchen counter, pulling out a strangely designed communication device. "And what's this? A new cell phone?"  
  
Lilaine took a few more feet back. "Put that down, that's for emergencies only!"  
  
"What emergencies? Reporting to your new headquarters? This secret organization is going down," Arrmun stated. "All of the stats are being restored, and you're going down, Black Rocket..."  
  
Lilaine took a few steps back. "H...how did you know?! What did you do?!"  
  
Arrmun smirked. "It's quite simple, really. I knew you would react once this Pokémon was taken, so you used your communication device to contact your headquarters. The police were able to track down where it was coming from, and we now know where you contacted."  
  
Lilaine took a few more steps back, beginning to shake. "I can't believe I got careless, but it's really your loss here, Arrmun."  
  
"Silence, on the floor!" the other officer commanded. Lilaine was violently tossed down on the floor and her arms forced behind her back as the officer placed handcuffs on her.  
  
"How is it my loss? All that's left are a few more Team Rocket Headquarters, and then we'll be starting in on your new gang. Now, the only thing that's left is to restore all of the stats," Arrmun was about to leave the room.  
  
Lilaine let out a laugh. "Try all you might, but they're deleted for good. All of them. You really thought that I would have them restored?! It serves you right for taking that Pokémon from me in the first place! Now all of the other trainers have to suffer because of your stupidity!"  
  
Arrmun quickly shot a look at Lilaine. "There were several back-up files for them; there's no way you could have deleted all of them."  
  
"She must be a master hacker," one of the officers muttered.  
  
"Don't you think I know that?!" Arrmun grunted. "If she's serious, then it appears those files really ARE gone for good. Well, that's unfortunate."  
  
* * *  
  
"So that's it then...? She already deleted them anyway?" Matt asked. He sighed. "I don't understand. If he was able to shut them down, why would he take that Pokémon? It makes absolutely no sense to me."  
  
"Something must have happened on the inside. I don't think we'll ever understand it." Lizzie groaned.  
  
Jordan watched as the sun set from the entrance of the Pokémon Center. He turned around to face them. "Come on, let's go get some rest; we'll see what we can do about it in the morning."  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, after a long two hour ceremony, the trainers who participated had received trophies just for simply participating in the Pokémon League. The president of the Pokémon League made a speech to reassure that the incident would never occur again. However, Lizzie did as a matter of fact receive her first place trophy, as everybody knew that she was the rightful victor of the Pokémon League. It was a large, glowing golden image of a strange bird Pokémon, one that Matt had never seen before. It wasn't one of the Legendary Birds; it made him wonder.  
  
After a few hours when they were all dressed and ready to go, Matt, Lizzie and Jordan were facing each other outside the Pokémon Center.  
  
"I need to go back home to think about where I'm going for my next journey. Will you stop by at my place before you go back to Cerulean?" Matt asked.  
  
Lizzie nodded. "I'd love to stay, but only for a day; I have to go home too, you know."  
  
Matt smiled, turning his attention to Jordan. "So, you got your place back as the Elite Four?"  
  
"That's right," Jordan smiled. "It'll be hard trying to clean up after what happened. I'll try to see if I can get you both in someday to battle all of us; you both deserve a chance, even if all of your stats for this league were completely erased." He smiled again. "I'll try to stay in the closest contact possible, all right?"  
  
"You'd better..." Lizzie giggled.  
  
"Hey, be careful. At Lilaine's arrest yesterday, there were reports of a new gang called Black Rocket appearing. Nobody knows much about them yet, but make sure to stay on your toes, all right?"  
  
The three of them went their separate ways. Jordan walking on the route back towards the stadium, which was virtually empty the rest of the year. It was often used where the Elite Four held their meetings on the very top floor. Matt and Lizzie on the other hand returned to Viridian City, and began walking back down Route 1 to return to Pallet Town.  
  
Matt continued shaking his head. "It's just so stupid...you deserved that chance"  
  
"Hey, nobody knew that this was going to happen. Next time, everyone will know better." She smiled. "At least I got my trophy. They all know that I finished first, and you second."  
  
"I still can't believe it though. They were up with a high class hacker, deleting all back-up files. I'm just so ticked that Arrmun could do such a thing like steal her Pokémon. I mean, of course she's going to react!" Matt sighed.  
  
"Hey, if he didn't act, she wouldn't have gotten caught. Either way, something had to be done about it..."  
  
"I guess you're right," Matt replied, shaking his head again. "It's still a really stupid thing to be allowed to happen, but it would probably be best to just let it go."  
  
"That's right. Jordan DID say he'd try to get us in to battle the Elite Four someday. So I guess where we finished doesn't really matter to the public. What was important was that we were able to get a lot of fighting experience." She stretched her arms. "Well then, we'll just have to start thinking to where we'll be going next."  
  
The morning sun was shining as brightly as it ever has as Matt and Lizzie continued to walk down the long, dirt path of Route 1 to Pallet Town, unsure of which road their long journey would next be taken. They were mostly silent along the way, mostly in deep thought. Both in optimism after getting as far as they did during their first complete competition; and in disappointment, wondering if the world would ever believe that they had gotten as far as they did. Regardless what was on their minds, they would keep walking.  
  
  
  
END OF FIRST SAGA.  
  
(The story continues in its second saga: "The Final Journey in Fenyuu." Be sure to read that!) 


End file.
